A society without child poverty, where all children thrive
The Ethos Foundation is a UK-based charity established in 2016.
Our mission is to improve early childhood outcomes in the UK by uniting diverse coalitions and partners, in the service of parents, communities & society.
Strategy
Our vision
A society without child poverty, where all children thrive.
Our mission
To improve early childhood outcomes in the UK by uniting diverse coalitions and partners, in the service of parents, communities, and society.
Our goals
To put early childhood at the centre of unified:
- Support: joining up services for children and families alongside engaged communities
- Contexts: creating nurturing environments that shape young children’s lives
- Stories: increasing understanding and prioritisation of early childhood
Our activities
To achieve our goals we fund partners across two complementary portfolios:
- Big Bets: scaling a small number of tested collective impact models
- Opportunity: supporting mission-aligned activities in early childhood
Our impact
We seek to maximise impact in early childhood across every aspect of our work, including through our investment portfolio.
Our values
- Good citizenship
- Fairness
- Reflectiveness
People
Trustees
Grant Gordon OBE (Chair)
Grant is a social entrepreneur and philanthropist. Alongside chairing Ethos Foundation, he sits on the board of the Childhood Trust, Thrive at Five and the Cabrach Trust. He has played a key role in founding these organisations which continue to be Ethos partners. He also chairs The Distillers’ Charity. In his leisure time Grant is a keen sailor.
Brigitte Gordon
Brigitte is the wife of Grant Gordon, and mother to their three daughters. She is a member of The Philanthropy Workshop (TPW).
Katie Oliver
Katie is the Managing Director of Ark Start. She joined Ark in 2006, just before the first Ark school opened, and has since held several roles, including Projects Director and Operations Director. As Managing Director of Ark Start, she leads its growing nursery network in London and advocates for the importance of Early Years in national policy. She is also Director of Ark Ventures, overseeing Ark’s wider education and society initiatives.
Lucy Blythe
Lucy is Founder/Director of Philia International, a board, governance and leadership consultancy specialising in organisational excellence, executive coaching, and philanthropy advisory. She has been a foundation and charity CEO, partner in an international search firm and served on several non-profit boards.
Luka Gakic
Luka is Grant and Brigitte’s son-in-law. A former refugee and ‘scholarship kid’, he is committed to upholding and advancing social mobility and compassion in British society.
Staff
Sarah Blackwood (Director)
Sarah is responsible for leading Ethos’ strategy, partnership working and day-to-day operations. She has spent the last two decades working to shape multi-sector programmes and partnerships for transformative impact, within philanthropy, government and civil society organisations. Outside work, her spare time is mainly spent running on trails and after her two small children.
Saada Ibrahim (Finance and Operations Manager)
Saada leads Finance and Operations at Ethos, keeping the Foundation running smoothly, compliant with charity regulations, and supporting the delivery of lasting impact in early childhood. Outside of work, she is a mum to a neurodivergent, curious, and energetic young boy, and enjoys seeing the world through his eyes.
Partners
We have developed a portfolio of principal charity partners, including:
The Cabrach Trust has a vision to regenerate the Cabrach as a thriving, sustainable community with its history, heritage and place in Scottish history celebrated and shared by all. To achieve this goal, the Trust plans to build the Cabrach Distillery & Heritage Centre to inspire, educate and engage visitors and to revitalise the Cabrach, giving it a renewed sense of place, pride and community.
The Childhood Trust is London’s child poverty charity, founded with a simple vision: to support vulnerable children living in poverty in London. The Trust works across three thematic areas meeting children’s practical, emotional and inspirational needs. The Trust funds grassroots children’s charities, runs volunteer programmes, and advocates for disadvantaged children.
Thrive at Five has a vision for a society that cherishes children’s development in the early years, and where every child can thrive and achieve their full potential though reaching a ‘good level of development’ at five. The collective impact initiative supports programmes and people that work with these children and their families in their local communities.
Applications
The Ethos Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or proposals for funding.
Reports
The UK has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty for developed countries. Our report, Closing the Gap, highlights what an effective system of child poverty prevention looks like, from the services provided to the principles underpinning our relationships.
You can view the Ethos Foundation’s annual reports and accounts on the Charity Commission website.