Essex Community Foundation | Supporting Local Causes

About the Essex Community Foundation

Essex Community Foundation (ECF) is an independent charitable trust dedicated to improving the quality of life for people across Essex. We invest and distribute charitable funds on behalf of individuals, families, businesses and public agencies, ensuring long‑term support for local initiatives. Since launching in 1996, ECF has awarded more than £60 million in grants, distributing around £4 million each year to organisations that make a real difference across our county.

Our story began with a commitment to giving back. After selling their family sweet‑making business, Trebor to Cadbury in 1989, Ian and Angela Marks wanted their success to benefit the county their family had called home for generations. They believed a community foundation could bring people together to support charities and voluntary groups improving local lives and communities. Their vision became reality in April 1996, when ECF was launched with Ian as our first Chairman.

Today, we manage over 200 charitable funds, carefully investing donations to provide sustainable support year after year. Our experienced team matches donors’ wishes with the needs of local organisations, carrying out thorough due diligence to ensure every grant has meaningful, measurable impact.

You can explore this impact through our Community Spotlight, where we share the stories of people and projects strengthened by ECF funding.

Through our unique giving model, donors can support the causes that matter most to them. Anyone can be part of this work, our flexible Fundbuilder programme even allows you to start with small regular donations and grow your charitable fund over time, building a lasting legacy in Essex without needing a large upfront contribution.

There is a way for everyone to give back, whether that’s setting up a charitable fund, making a small one‑off donation, leaving a legacy, or sharing our work. Explore the different ways to Give to Your Community through ECF.

To stay connected with our work, opportunities and events, we invite you to sign up to our newsletter and join us in supporting communities across Essex.

To find out more

For grant enquiries:

General Enquiries

Contact us If you have a question or would like to discuss any aspect of our work, please contact us via email, post or just give us a call. We are happy to help.