Pledge

We often make pledges for projects that are in the early fundraising stages. We hope this encourages other funders to support you too.

Announcing your pledge

If you have received a pledge this means that a grant depends on your organisation raising the full costs and the work is definitely going ahead. We ask therefore that you don’t announce our support publicly until you have met all the conditions of our pledge and have the money in your bank account. Then you are very welcome to announce our support publicly!

Acknowledging our support

Once you have met all the conditions of your pledge and we have released your grant payment, we would be proud to have our support acknowledged in any publications you produce about the work we are directly supporting and in any other appropriate places such as social media, your website or annual report. Please only acknowledge our support during your grant period and remove our name and/or logo once your grant period has ended (unless your grant is for a capital project and we are named on a permanent donor board – see capital for guidance)

If you are referring to funders by name only, please use Garfield Weston Foundation.

If you are including logos, you can access our logo and guidance on how to use it here.

Acknowledging support for capital projects

If you are recognising the support of funders for your capital project in a permanent way (such as donor board or wall or recognition) please include our name and/or logo. Please send us a proof of how our name/logo will appear in advance and allow three working days for us to approve its use – please email a proof to admin@garfieldweston.org

If your organisation is offering to name a specific space or room in recognition of the Foundation’s support, we would be delighted to discuss this with you so we can agree on an appropriate space and name. Please email admin@garfieldweston.org to start the conversation.

Social media

We would be delighted if you publicised your grant on social media. With pledges, we ask you to only publicise your grant once we have released the funding to you. We are @WestonFdn on X, @GarfieldWestonFoundation on Facebook, @Westonfdn on Instagram, @westonfdn.bsky.social on Bluesky and Garfield Weston Foundation on LinkedIn.

Where we can, we’re happy to support your efforts, including any key milestones, so do tag us when you can.

You are welcome to use the following copy about us in your posts:

The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family founded grant-maker supporting charities operating in a wide variety of sectors across the UK that make a positive difference within their communities.

Established by W. Garfield Weston in 1958 through an endowment of shares in the family business – now known as Associated British Foods plc – the Foundation continues to be guided by the Weston Family. The Trustees, each of whom are direct descendants of the founder, play an active, informed role in its work.

This successful model has ensured that our charitable donations have grown as the businesses have grown, enabling the Foundation to award grants totalling nearly £1.7 billion since its establishment. The most recent financial year 2024-2025 saw the Foundation give away almost £130 million to 2,967 charities.

If your charity is new to social media, you may find our guide helpful.

Social Media Guide

Press release

Once your pledge payment has been released, you are welcome to announce your grant. If you would like to announce your grant in a press release, please send a copy of your draft press release to admin@garfieldweston.org and allow at least three working days for approval.

You are welcome to use the following paragraph about us in your Notes to Editors:

The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family founded grant-maker supporting charities operating in a wide variety of sectors across the UK that make a positive difference within their communities.

How to access your funding

Usually pledges can be released when you have raised all the funds needed for a project. We also need confirmation that the project is definitely going ahead as described to us in your original application and confirmation of your project’s timescale. If there are additional conditions for your pledge, these will be in the pledge offer email you receive from us.

When you are ready to ask that your pledge is released, please fill in our Pledge release form and send it to us via your online account. Or you can email it to admin@garfieldweston.org. We will also need a recent bank statement for your organisation (dated in the last three months) and a copy of your latest independently audited or examined accounts.

Unless we have any questions, we will do our best to make your pledge payment within 14 working days.

Grant reporting

Grant reports are how we learn about our charity partners. They help us understand any changes you’ve experienced during your grant period. They also keep us up to date about issues and challenges your beneficiaries are experiencing.

We know that charities have to report to several funders. We are very happy for you to ‘recycle’ information you have used for other reports. We don’t have a specific form, you have the flexibility to tell us about your work in your own words. We do ask though that you keep it short and simple! You may find our Top tips for grant reports a useful guide.

We look forward to learning more about your work.