Mk Community Foundation

Name

Mk Community Foundation

Legal name

Milton Keynes Community Foundation

Website

https://mkcommunityfoundation.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Milton Keynes Community Foundation is a place-based grant-making charity that connects individual donors, businesses, and legacy givers with grassroots groups and registered charities in Milton Keynes through tiered grants, thematic funds, rent subsidies, training events, and the Vital Signs MK research programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Grant making programs
• Philanthropic funding
• Community development grants
• Charitable giving services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: The foundation receives donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations which are then distributed as grants to eligible charitable organizations and community groups in Milton Keynes. Revenue comes through various giving mechanisms including one-time donations, monthly giving (Friends program), business memberships, and legacy bequests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Milton Keynes Community Foundation is a place-based grant-making charity that channels philanthropic donations from individuals, businesses, and other funders to local charities and community groups in Milton Keynes. It administers tiered grant programs (Seed, Sapling, Oak, Strategic Partnerships), specialized thematic funds (Rainbow Fund, Women's Fund, Cost of Living Fund, Environment Fund, Youth Music Fund), rent subsidies for charitable tenants, property and land assets, and the annual Vital Signs MK community research report.

Product overview

Milton Keynes Community Foundation operates as a place-based grant-making charity offering a portfolio of funding programs, research initiatives, and community support services. Core offerings include tiered grant programs (Seed, Sapling, Oak, Strategic Partnerships), thematic established funds (Women's Fund, Cost of Living Fund, Environment Fund, Rainbow Fund, Arts Fund, and others), and geographic programs like the New Communities Fund. The organisation supplements direct funding with research through its Vital Signs MK program, annual MK Charity Awards, a podcast platform, skills development events, and property/land services including rent subsidies. The portfolio is unified by the 'Funding Fairness' ethos, directing resources to address identified community needs across Milton Keynes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Programs Place-based grant-making programs offering tiered funding (Seed Grants for new groups, Sapling Grants for established organizations, Oak Grants for larger strategic projects, and Strategic Partnerships) to charities and community organisations in Milton Keynes.
• Rainbow Fund Dedicated fund supporting LGBTQ+ projects in Milton Keynes, building on partnerships with Q:alliance and MK Pride Festival, including accessibility infrastructure, awareness training, and community support programs.
• Established Funds Pre-existing thematic funds supporting specific causes including Women's Fund, Cost of Living Fund, Environment Fund, Next Generation Fund, Arts Fund, Community Fund, Homeless Support Fund, and High Sheriff Fund. Donors can contribute to funds aligned with their charitable interests.
• Milton Keynes Youth Music Fund Dedicated fund providing up to £1,500 grants for music projects promoting youth participation, targeting organisations with inclusive projects where at least 90% of beneficiaries are under 21 years old.
• New Communities Fund Geographic funding program supporting the creation of new charities, community groups, or projects in Milton Keynes expansion areas including Broughton Gate, Brooklands, Tattenhoe Park, Kingsmead South, Whitehouse, and Fairfields.
• Property and Land Services Management of community land plots and property assets available for charitable and community use, including rent subsidy programs for qualifying charities (with £940,293 in rent subsidies awarded in 2025).
• Vital Signs MK Annual research and reporting program documenting the state of Milton Keynes across multiple domains including Arts and Heritage, Strong Communities, Health and Wellbeing, Poverty, Work and Economy, Education, Crime and Safety, Housing, Environment, and Transport, providing data-driven insights for funders and policymakers.
• Business Membership Corporate giving program enabling businesses to support communities where their employees live and work through structured membership and giving arrangements.
• Start a Fund Service enabling businesses and philanthropists to establish named funds carrying their vision for giving, with the foundation managing administration and grant distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 112 grants awarded supporting 98 organizations totaling £532,258 in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK Community Foundations (UKCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKCF is the membership body for community foundations in the UK. MK Community Foundation operates as a place-based funder under this network, sharing best practices and resources with other community foundations across the UK.
• Fundraising RegulatorminorOthersRegistered with the Fundraising Regulator, demonstrating commitment to ethical fundraising standards and compliance with the Code of Fundraising Practice.
• Living Wage FoundationminorOthersAccredited as a Living Wage employer, demonstrating commitment to paying employees at least the real Living Wage.
• Q:alliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQ+ advocacy organization partnering with MK Community Foundation through the Rainbow Fund and Pride Festival support. Collaborated on Queer Histories Project bringing LGBTQ+ history to life through school packs, guided walks, and exhibitions.
• MK Pride FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Pride festival supported through Rainbow Fund. MK Community Foundation funds accessibility and inclusion infrastructure including BSL interpreters across festival stages.
• Made By SportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational charity raising awareness of sport's power to create societal change for young people. MK Community Foundation partners to administer grants up to £3,000 to sports clubs in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire using sport to improve young people's lives.
• FairspaceMKcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity venue operated by MK Community Foundation providing event space for voluntary sector activities, training, conferences, and community gatherings.
• MacintyreminorOthersProvided catering for the Voluntary Sector CPD Conference, supporting the foundation's capacity building events for local charities.
• MK Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership enabling Dreamsai to source food supplies for Food for Sai project. Collaboration part of broader network supporting food distribution across Milton Keynes.
• Citizens AdviceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing information services at Water Eaton Community Hub Soup for the Soul Café alongside Diabetes UK.
• Diabetes UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing information services at Water Eaton Community Hub Soup for the Soul Café alongside Citizens Advice.
• Water Eaton Community HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity hub receiving cost-of-living grant support. Operates Hub Larder (surplus supermarket food), Community Fridge (reducing food waste), and Soup for the Soul Café. Distributed 217,800 food items and supported 29,280 families.
• C2C (Women's Support Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's support centre partnered with SAASSBMK to run Thrive Together, a drop-in peer support group for sexual violence survivors with arts-and-crafts focus.
• Women's AidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for SAASSBMK's Thrive Together support group, with survivors from multiple organizations including Women's Aid and MK Act participating.
• MK ActcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic abuse crisis intervention service and refuge. SAASSBMK's Thrive Together is open to survivors from MK Act as well as Women's Aid and C2C.
• 101 Schools and Children's CentrescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 101 community schools, children's centres, and groups partnered with St. Mark's Meals for meal box distribution to families in need.
• MK Christian FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner40-year-old charity supporting young people through work-based learning at Urb Farm site. Urban Bee-lievers beekeeping initiative operates from their site with corporate partnerships throughout the city.
• MK Climate Action NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork founded in 2023 building governance and campaigning capabilities for climate action in Milton Keynes.
• The Open UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Living Roof Live Lab project (green roof research) and Hidden Toil research report on poverty in Milton Keynes. Leading Prototyping Community Innovation Hubs project to support Black and Asian-led businesses.
• Works For UscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment support organization merged with Citizens' Advice Bureau. Received MK Community Foundation funding for online platform development. Supports care providers affected by visa status changes.
• MK Money LifelinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDebt advice organization partnered with MK Food Bank on Beyond Food project addressing underlying factors that trap people in cycles of poverty. Part-funded by MK Community Foundation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lloyds Bank Foundation: Corporate-affiliated foundation funding small-to-medium UK charities serving vulnerable groups. Overlapping grantee pool (small charities, social services) and similar tiered, place-based grant approach make it a relevant broader incumbent peer.
• The National Lottery Community Fund: The UK's largest community grantmaker, distributing hundreds of millions annually to local communities. MKCF grantees often also receive National Lottery funding, and the two compete and complement for place-based impact — a strategically important broader incumbent for benchmarking reach and partner dynamics.
• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: A major UK endowed foundation making grants across Arts, Children & Young People, Environment, and Social Change. Comparable as a peer in grantmaking strategy, donor-advised fund administration, and applied philanthropic research, though operating at national scale.
• CAF (Charities Aid Foundation): UK's largest donor-advised fund and giving account provider, offering intermediary philanthropy services to individuals, businesses, and charities. Comparable in the donor intermediation and philanthropic advisory dimension of MKCF's model, particularly the Start a Fund offering.
• UK Community Foundations (UKCF): UKCF is the national membership network for 47 accredited community foundations across the UK, including MKCF. It is comparable as the umbrella body for place-based grantmaking, sharing best practices, accreditation standards, and collective fundraising capability that drives the community foundation model.

Direct peers

• Northamptonshire Community Foundation: A neighboring county-level community foundation with a near-identical operating model: Seed/Sapling/Oak-style tiered grants, multiple thematic funds (environment, women's, LGBTQ+, youth), Vital Signs-style research, and donor intermediary services. Direct structural and operational peer.
• Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation: Adjacent geographic community foundation offering grant programmes, donor fund management, and community property/asset support similar to MKCF's model. Comparable scale and structure, making it a useful peer benchmark for grant throughput and overhead efficiency.
• Heart of Bucks Community Foundation: A nearby place-based community foundation covering Buckinghamshire (which overlaps with MKCF's geography). Same model: tiered grants, thematic funds, donor-advised giving, community research, and capacity-building events serving a defined geographic community.

Regional players

• Quartet Community Foundation: A community foundation covering the West of England (Bristol, Bath, Somerset, North Somerset). Same operating model — place-based grants, themed funds, donor intermediation, property assets, and Vital Signs-style research — providing a useful regional peer for benchmarking.

Emerging players

• Made By Sport: National charity through which MKCF channels sport-themed grants (up to £3,000) to MK and Buckinghamshire clubs. Functions as both a partner and a thematic grant vehicle — directly comparable business model for thematic pass-through fund administration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mkcf
• Facebookfacebook.com/MKCommunityFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/milton-keynes-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/mkcommunityfoundation

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mk Community Foundation