For four decades we have supported communities in the West of England to flourish. In this time we have awarded over £80 million through 27,500 grants to local charitable organisations and advising over 350 fund holders who share our belief in the power of local philanthropy.
Founded in 1986 as the Greater Bristol Trust, we have grown into one of the largest community foundations in the UK. We have established trust and an awareness of our grant giving, to strengthen communities across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Follow our journey below by scrolling through the decades.
1980s
In 1986 we started our endowment fund with a vision to provide to provide long-term funding for small local charities.
We are one of the first community foundations in the UK.
1990s
In our first 10 years we distributed £1 million in grants.
By the end of the decade, we had over 60 fund holders and our endowment reached over £5 million.
Two generous donations enabled us to buy Royal Oak House in Bristol, which remains our home today and provides affordable premises for other for local charities.
2000s
We opened our Bath office in 2004.
In 2005 we became Quartet Community Foundation and expanded our reach further into Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
In 2006 we celebrated our 100th named fund.
By 2007 we had distributed £15 million in grants and our endowment reached £13 million.
We launched a matched giving challenge in 2008, generating £3 million in new endowment funds.
2010s
By 2010 our endowment grew to £16.7 million.
Our relationship with North Somerset Community Partnership led to a fund of £8 million in 2018, our largest single fund.
In 2019 we distributed £3.92 million in grants in one year, positively impacting 200,000 people.
2020s
In 2020, we funded local charities during the COVID crisis by increasing our grant funding to more than £5 million, helping to support over 300 local charities.
Our ProHelp skilled volunteering service was launched in 2020. A service matching skilled volunteers with charitable organisations needing professional help.
By 2025 our endowment fund reached £64 million.
In 2025 we launched the Scantlebury Challenge matched giving initiative generating over £3 million in new endowment funds.
2026
In the last 12 months we’ve awarded over £5 million to over 650 local charities.
Our endowment has risen to £69.5 million.
Our ProHelp service has provided a total of 6,000+ skilled volunteering hours.
Since 1986 we have dostributed a total of over £80 million through 27,5000 grants to charitable organisations.
With demand rising and funding declining, we’ve set a bold ambition to grow our endowment to £100 million by 2029 to ensure we can continue supporting communities long into the future.
Our ambition has always been to build a long-term endowment that grows over time and provides sustainable support for local charitable causes.
Alongside the continued commitment of our donors and partners, we have worked to collaboratively strengthen communities and empower the local organisations at their heart.
“For 40 years, Quartet has matched generous donations from our donors with the needs of communities in Bristol, B&NES, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
We have strived to be accessible, credible and have gained the trust of many donors over this time, trust we put into services provided by the voluntary sector to have the most impact on those in greatest need. The difference this makes is articulated wherever I go and visit those who have received funding. We have given out over £80 million over this time. There is more to do and our ambitious strategy outlines our goals for 2026-9. Quartet wants to continue for the next 40 years and beyond, with your support.
So, at this time to pause and reflect, we want to thank all those who have worked with us to make this possible; we ask you to continue to help and to talk about our work, so that it can continue, for the next 40 years and beyond. Thank you!” – Anna Smith, CEO
Find out more
As we celebrate our anniversary, we remain dedicated to championing local giving, investing with purpose, and empowering the people and organisations working tirelessly to make our communities fairer, stronger, and more connected.
If you’re interested in giving locally, we’d love to talk to you and find out how we can support your charitable aims.