About Us

Yorkshire Funders achieved charitable status in November 2021 so that it became an official entity and could increase its activities and outcomes. This development was supported by several local funders who during a consultation confirmed they wanted the previously informal group to become a more active body.

Yorkshire Funders was formerly called the Yorkshire Funders Forum (YFF) and was run by a steering committee which was made up of employees and trustees from Yorkshire-based charitable trusts and foundations.

The principle activities were, and continue to be, facilitating and organising networking and learning events in the Yorkshire region, as well as ensuring that the region has a strong relationship with key national sector bodies and local infrastructure organisations which provide advice and support to charities, voluntary and community groups.

The YFF was formed in July 2019 following the integration of the Yorkshire Grant Makers Forum (set up in 1993) and the Yorkshire & Humber Funders Forum (established in the mid-2000s) which both existed for the same purposes as the YFF but as two separate entities.

The founder-trustees of Yorkshire Funders were the four YFF steering committee members and thanks to support from the trustees of the Sir George Martin Trust – which gives grants in West Yorkshire – their Trust Manager, Carla Marshall, is the Coordinator for Yorkshire Funders. Jan Garrill, a founder-trustee moved to work alongside Carla as a Consultant for Yorkshire Funders in summer 2023.

Now that Yorkshire Funders has built up a strong membership base, we will be working towards becoming the cross-sector membership network for funders and investors in Yorkshire’s civil society and communities.