The Foyle Foundation was established in 2000 to implement the will of Christina Foyle, the daughter of William Foyle who, with his brother, founded the former family owned bookshop Foyles in Charing Cross Road, London.
Established from an original endowment of approximately £60M consisting mainly of property holdings, some stock market investments and a holding in her father’s library which was sold, the Foundation had unrestricted charitable objectives and no request or need to maintain a permanent endowment.
The Trustees decided to spend down its funds over 25 years, enabling more charitable causes to receive more support, more quickly, than would have been possible if the Foundation had maintained a permanent endowment.
December 2025 marks 25 years of giving to the fields of the Arts, Learning, Community Small Grants, State Schools Libraries and formerly Health. As a significant supporter within these fields, the Foundation has distributed over £185M in total to over 7,000 charities and state schools across the UK, including 14 legacy projects with long term strategic benefit.
The Foyle Foundation announced a final £2.2 million for community foundations across the UK including Northern Ireland, coordinated via UK Community Foundations.
The money will be shared among eleven community foundations, each receiving £200,000 to ensure a lasting legacy for local grassroots projects.
