Buzzacott Stuart Defries Memorial Fund

The Buzzacott Stuart Defries Memorial Fund (BSDMF) was established in 2003 in posthumous memory of Buzzacott Partner, Stuart Defries.

Am I eligible for funding? 

Making sure your organisation is eligible to apply is the first step and can save a lot of time. In order to be considered for funding, your charity must be actively engaged in activities aligned with our objectives.

Our main grant making objectives are to:

• Benefit young people under the age of 25
• Support organisations based in Greater London boroughs experiencing high rates of child poverty, particularly boroughs adjoining the City of London
• Support those in deprived socio-economic areas or communities
• Concerned with promoting educational opportunities, seeking to prevent homelessness, poverty and destitution, prevention or rehabilitation of youth crime, online safety, and mental health and wellbeing.

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How can I apply for funding? 

If your organisation meets the above criteria, we’d love to hear from you! You will first be required to complete a pre-application questionnaire on YourCause, our grants management platform. 

You will also be asked to submit your most recent accounts and confirm you have an up-to-date safeguarding policy. If your statutory accounts are not available, you may be asked to provide a copy of your latest management accounts. 

If you are eligible, you will then be required to submit a formal application form which should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.

How will my application be assessed? 

Your application will be assessed by our Trustees in line with our grant making policy (see below) to determine whether it is aligned with the fund’s objectives listed above, and based on the following criteria.

Financial health: The application should demonstrate strong financial stability with adequate reserves and sustainable budgeting. Moderate financial stability may require additional information, while poor financial health with liquidity issues or high debt levels will result in automatic decline.

Need for funding: The application should demonstrate a high need in the local area, addressing critical social issues. Moderate need may be considered if there is a current shortfall, while low need or substantial existing funding may lead to a grant being declined.

Strategic fit: The project should clearly align with the Fund's goals, demonstrating how it will tackle a specific issue and positively impact beneficiaries.

Project location: The project should operate in a priority location within London boroughs experiencing high rates of child poverty.

Project impact: The application should highlight key impact measures and objectives specific to target groups, demonstrating a history of delivering these impacts and recognising areas for future growth.

Our policy 

Click here to download our full grant making policy. 

When will I find out if I have been successful? 

The trustees meet quarterly to make funding decisions for grant applications. You can expect to hear back from us within 2 weeks of the most recent meeting. 

What happens after I receive funding?  

We will follow up with grant recipients to ensure that the grant is being used as intended. Depending on the size of the grant, we may require you to complete a report, either once the grant has been spent, or when the project has been completed. 

If this is required of you, we’ll reach out with more details. 

Get in touch

If you have any more questions about your eligibility or applying for a grant, please get in touch via the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.