For Community Foundation for Surrey, family foundations are a really important but quite niche area of work. Whilst some are well established and operate brilliantly, others work in isolation, facing shared challenges around governance, succession, and decision-making but rarely talking to one another. It became clear that there was a real need for connection. So, in 2022, inspired by the ACF Family Foundations network, and with support from some family foundations we already work closely with, we created an informal, local peer support network for family foundations in Surrey.
Our aim was simple: to provide a safe, supportive environment where trustees and staff from family foundations across Surrey could come together, share experiences, and learn from one another. For us as a place-based funder, it was also a chance to understand our local funding landscape better and to encourage more collaborative, IVAR-compatible giving - supporting things like multi-year, core, and flexible funding.
What started as an experiment has since grown into a small but vibrant network open to any Surrey-based family foundation, legacy fundholder, family trust, or charity with family origins - regardless of whether we manage their funds directly.
We meet two to three times a year, alternating between in-person and online sessions, with between 20- 40 participants attending. The topics come directly from members’ interests and needs - everything from succession planning, charity governance and ethical investing to equality, diversity and inclusion. We like to bring in guest speakers who can stretch our thinking and spark conversation.
One session that stands out for me featured a 21-year-old sixth-generation trustee sharing his view on giving. His reflections were refreshingly different - he cared deeply about impact but wanted to express that through modern, flexible approaches rather than tradition-bound models. Hearing that perspective was powerful and reminded us that younger trustees do care about philanthropy - they just connect to it in new ways.
What started as an experiment has since grown into a small but vibrant network - it has shown that change can happen through consistent, collective learning, built on trust and relationships.
Since the network’s launch, we’ve seen how shared learning can transform practice. Members have become more confident, transparent, and intentional in their giving. The network gives them a sense of belonging and a space to talk openly about the joys and frustrations of running family foundations.
It’s also been a catalyst for collaborations. We've also done charity visits so foundations can see the charities that their money could support and matched donors with charities they might never have found otherwise. One example that sticks with me is a foundation founder who loved horse carriage driving. After a conversation through our network, we connected them with Riding for the Disabled and they’ve since become regular supporters.
We’ve also spotted opportunities for co-funding. Two widows, each managing foundations set up by their late husbands, met through one of our events and discovered overlapping interests. They began meeting outside of events and are exploring co-funding together. This reminds me how philanthropy, at its best, brings people together around shared purpose.
The Funders Collaborative Hub has been a wonderful ally in this journey. We were looking for ways to promote the network and the ACF team helped us share news about our events, increase visibility, and reach new foundations - including some beyond Surrey. They check in regularly to ask if we have updates or activities to feature, which has been invaluable for keeping our information current and accessible. The Hub essentially became our shop window, lifting the profile of the network and highlighted the model to other community foundations interested in replicating it which has been a positive outcome. Administratively, it also eased the load on our small team, handling promotion and publishing so we could focus on relationship-building. In the longer term, we see even more potential in using the Hub for blogs, deeper learning pieces, and cross-regional connections.
It hasn’t all been easy. Reaching family foundations, especially those set up generations ago or managed by solicitors, can be tough. Some operate very privately or give only small sums in traditional ways. Changing those “hearts and minds” takes time. We’ve had to be flexible with our event timing, formats, and themes to keep engagement high.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the importance of relationship budling and adaptability. Success depends on listening closely to what funders need, experimenting with different topics and venues, and keeping things inclusive and relevant. Offering varied and themed events and celebrating progress all help keep the network alive and evolving.
Our plan going forward is to continue running learning events and themed sessions linked to current social issues or collaborative funding opportunities. We will also strengthen our connection with ACF's national network so that insights can flow both ways.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built. What began as a small idea has become a thriving community of thoughtful, connected funders who are learning, collaborating, and evolving together. The network has shown that change can happen through consistent, collective learning, built on trust and relationships. And in that sense, I think we’re only just getting started.
