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What We Fund

We provide core, unrestricted and project grants to charitable organisations whose ambitions are aligned with our own. Our funding has three key objectives - to change the system, strengthen sectors & offer direct support where the need is greatest. Our core funding programmes are focused on Early Childhood, Young People’s Mental Health and the Restoration & Protection of UK Rivers.

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We publish all our grants on 360Giving and our annual reports list the grants AIM awards each year in full.

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Our Core Funding Programmes

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1. Early Childhood

Our mission is to ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has the best start in life. We are committed to early development, particularly around school readiness. We support innovative programmes and services that enable children to enter school with the confidence, skills, and support they need to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.

 

2. Restoration & Protection of UK Rivers

Our vision is a UK river system that is healthy, vital and resilient, benefiting both nature and people. By funding organisations that are restoring and protecting our rivers, we aim to improve water quality, support healthy ecosystems, and mitigate the impact of climate change.

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​​​3. Young People’s Mental Health

For many years AIM supported the work of charities committed to the promotion of mental health and wellbeing of young people and equipping them with the support, resources, and resilience to thrive. This programme is in the process of being wound-up and we are not looking to award any new grants in this area.

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Our Funding Objectives

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1. Changing the System

Many of our grants seek to intervene at the level of the system, where change can have a wide and lasting impact. We use our funds to support work that can change policy, structures, mindsets and practice through collaborations, awareness raising, campaigning, good practice testing & sharing, and research.

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For example: Our funding is helping River Actions in its mission to rescue Britain’s rivers from a cocktail of agricultural, sewage and industrial pollution, through community action, influencing government policy and calling out destructive practices.

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2. Strengthening the Sector

We recognise it is difficult for charities to fund their own development in the face of pressing demand. Our grants will prioritise organisations’ own development activities and the infrastructure organisations supporting them through capacity-building, advocacy, training, and networking opportunities – crucial to enabling grassroots organisations to be more effective, sustainable, and resilient.

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For example:  We support the Children & Young People's Mental Health Coalition, a collaborative network of over 300 organisations, working together to ensure that all children and young people have access to the support and services they need.

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3. Direct Support

Some of our grants support the direct delivery work of charities, especially those in East Anglia who are focused on early intervention and prevention.

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For example: AIM funds a young carer support worker at Children’s Society East. This role provides one-to-one and group sessions, organising and supporting family activities and developing self-care resource to support hidden young carers, who have the weight of extra responsibilities, such as caring for family members due to parental mental illnesses or substance dependency.

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Our Discretionary Grants

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In addition to our main funding areas, we also award a small number of grants each year through our Family Fund. This enables members of the family to support a range of causes they care about, and helps us to learn about new areas of interest, whilst supporting valuable work in communities.

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Copyright © 2025 I Registered Charity number 263294

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