About
In the immediate aftermath of the fire, a small group of people who live locally from the music scene, went to spend time with their neighbours and listen to what they needed. With a lack of leadership or coordination from local or national Government it was clear early on that the survivors and bereaved relatives would need to lead the response to the tragedy. In those initial weeks, before the Foundation had been started, Marcus Mumford and others used their networks as best they could to support what families needed.
In the following months, Grenfell United made a request to Marcus Mumford to set up an independent charity so that if people wanted to donate funds to them in the future in the name of Grenfell, the funds would go to Grenfell Foundation to be managed and used appropriately for the benefit of all families and the wider community rather than GU specifically. The charity was not to be connected to existing charities in the community, so that it would be as independent as possible, and other Grenfell funds available were managed by the council or the government which was not sustainable or appropriate in many situations. From there the Grenfell Foundation was established, and an independent, professional and experienced board recruited.
We set out the Grenfell Foundation’s purpose to ensure families and the community would be supported after the initial wave of emergency response subsided and to ensure a lasting legacy for Grenfell. As a charity we would not give individual cash grants and were not connected to any emergency appeals that had taken place.
We continue to support Grenfell United, in their work to bring truth, justice and change - providing administrative support, capacity at key moments and supporting awareness raising moments. We are proud of all they have achieved, as survivors and bereaved themselves advocating for each other and bringing change for the whole country. Our support extends to all Grenfell community groups, affected families and the wider community to create a lasting legacy for Grenfell.
We have staff experienced in support work who provide advice and additional support to individual families as they work to rebuild their lives. We’ve worked to ensure a lasting legacy for Grenfell, supporting the bi-annual silent walk organised by the community and the memorial events at the anniversary each year. Occasionally families come to us to support recovery projects they are setting up or involved in, from community football, music groups for young people or special educational projects - and we do what we can to support these survivor and bereaved led initiatives. We also support a small number of wider community projects that build a lasting legacy of change to Grenfell.
Looking forward, we will focus our work on the next major milestones in the Grenfell journey, supporting families through the Phase 2 Report, Changes to the Tower, and Police Investigation. We will also ensure funds are in place to mark the annual Grenfell anniversary long into the future.
Throughout it all we operate from the principle we adopted from day one - ask those affected what they need. We will continue to listen, to learn and to stand with survivors, bereaved families and the community as long as they ask us to.
Our People
Trustees
The Grenfell Foundation has a Board of Trustees that share a common purpose which is to support those individuals most affected by the Grenfell Tower Tragedy both now and into the future.
They are:
Marcus Mumford (Chair)
David Joseph (Vice-Chair)
Susan Dolton
Jenita Rahman
William Sieghart CBE
Clare Richards
Staff Team
Our staff team is small and provides advocacy and support to individuals and families. They also plan projects to help the Grenfell community mark the anniversary of the fire, support awareness campaigns relating to the Public Inquiry and ensuring that any learnings from the tragedy are amplified and not forgotten.
Howard Taylor (Community Manager)
Tessa Barkhan (Communications and Campaigns Consultant)
There are currently no vacancies