The Baring Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaking foundation based in the United Kingdom that was originally founded as the corporate foundation of Barings Bank, a now-defunct merchant bank. It has been independent since 1995.

Background

The Baring Foundation was created on March 25, 1969, as the corporate foundation of Barings Bank, then a major London-based merchant bank. At its creation, the foundation was vested with 74 percent of the bank’s publicly traded B-shares and funded its grantmaking activity with those shares’ dividends. Initially, the foundation’s grantmaking activity was similar to that of its parent bank before its creation, focusing on issue areas relating to education, religion, memorial funds, and youth organizations. ^{1 2}

In 1995, Barings Bank was bought out by ING, a Dutch multinational banking firm. The Baring Foundation became an independent foundation, funding itself with an endowment originating with the Manor Park Charitable Trust. However, ING, like Barings, continues to provide the foundation donated services and office space. ^{3 4}

According to its website, since gaining independence in 1995, the foundation has focused its grantmaking activity on arts, international development, and civic organizations. Since the 2010s, it notes that it has shifted its focus within those areas to include left-of-center concerns, including “the African diaspora,” refugees, “intercultural dialogue,” and environmentalism. ⁵

International Activity

In addition to funding charitable and civic organizations based in the United Kingdom, the Baring Foundation also makes grants to organizations in sub-Saharan Africa that deal with regional LGBT issues and advocate for policies aligned with the interests of LGBT activists. ⁶

Grants

Arts organizations that have received grants from the Baring Foundation include the Manchester City Galleries Trust, the Arts Council of Wales, the Whitworth Group for Education in Museums, the Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts Festival, and the Tamasha Theatre Company. ⁷

Left-of center civic, LGBT- issue, and identity-issue organizations that have received grants from the foundation include Global Dialogue, the Southwark Law Centre, the British Institute of Human Rights, the PILS Project, the Law Centres Network, Rights and Security International, the National AIDS Trust, the Islington Law Centre, the Racial Justice Network, the Centre for Women’s Justice, the Criminal Justice Alliance, and Black Protest Legal Support. ⁸

LGBT-issue organizations either based in Africa or with programs active there that the foundation has made grants to include Pan Africa ILGA, GiveOut, UHAI EASHRI, the Human Dignity Trust, the Other Foundation, Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest, and Iranti. ⁹

Leadership

David Cutler

David Cutler is the director of the Baring Foundation as well as a trustee of Peace Direct and Settle Stories. Previously, Cutler led the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust’s initiative on young people and decision making; the DIVERT Trust, a United Kingdom-based national nonprofit focused on decreasing the incidence of crimes committed by youth; as well as the Community Safety Unit of a London borough. Additionally, Cutler was a founding “non-executive director” of the Commission for the Compact, an independent United Kingdom government body that oversees relations between the government and nonprofit sector. ¹⁰

Lucy de Groot

Lucy de Groot is the chair of the Baring Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Previously, de Groot was the chief executive of Community Service Volunteers, a United Kingdom volunteering and social action nonprofit; executive director of the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government; a civil servant at the Treasury of the United Kingdom; and a chief executive of the Bristol City Council. Additionally, de Groot is a member of the advisory panel of the United Kingdom’s National Council for Voluntary Organizations and a trustee of the United Kingdom-based New Philanthropy Capital. ¹¹

1. “Our History.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/about-us/our-history/
2. Cutler, David, Lowe, Harriet. “1969-2019: A history of the Baring Foundation in fifty grants.” Baring Foundation. 2019. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://cdn.baringfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/A-history-of-the-Baring-Foundation-in-50-grants_final.pdf
3. “Our History.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/about-us/our-history/
4. Cutler, David, Lowe, Harriet. “1969-2019: A history of the Baring Foundation in fifty grants.” Baring Foundation. 2019. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://cdn.baringfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/A-history-of-the-Baring-Foundation-in-50-grants_final.pdf
5.  “Our History.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/about-us/our-history/
6. “What we are funding.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/programme/international-development-programme/what-we-want-to-achieve-2/
7.  “Funded Projects.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/our-grant-making/funded-projects/
8. “Funded Projects.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/our-grant-making/funded-projects/
9. “Funded Projects.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/our-grant-making/funded-projects/
10. “Our Staff.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/about-us/our-staff/
11. “Our Trustees.” Baring Foundation. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://baringfoundation.org.uk/about-us/our-trustees/