The history and mission of The Verney Foundation

For more than 20 years The Verney Foundation has supported a broad range of charities and good causes, all of which have served the communities both local to the Claydon Estate and further afield across Buckinghamshire.

Rural community spaces, nature restoration, heritage conservation, and education have been at the heart of the Foundation since its founding in 2001, by Claydon Estate’s former steward Sir Edmund Verney.

Now chaired by Sir Edmund’s son and successor Nicholas Verney, the Foundation’s mission and values remain philanthropic and focused on making real positive change for local people and places.

Growth

“Founded as The Sir Ralph Verney Memorial Fund, in memory of my grandfather Sir Ralph Verney, the founding of the Fund offered a means of furthering the Estate’s charitable reach, while paying homage to my grandfather’s decades of public service,” Nicholas explains.

“Primarily serving rural communities, it was well placed to do so with its connection to the rural landscape and understanding of the challenges faced by those living and working in the countryside.”

Chaired by Sir Edmund and an independent representative, before growing to a board of four trustees, it went by its founding name for 22 years.

Then in 2023, The Sir Ralph Verney Memorial Fund became The Verney Foundation – representing the evolution of the Foundation and its longstanding commitment to people, place, and planet.

Nicholas joined the board of trustees in 2006 and eventually took up the mantle of Chair from his father, who now acts as a Trustee alongside Nicholas’ wife Alexandra, and an independent trustee.

Gifting

For two decades, the Foundation accumulated funds and regularly awarded grants to charities and causes, who applied for funding after hearing about the opportunity via word of mouth.

Over the years, grants have aided an array of charitable work, including helping to fund critical repairs to historic churches in The Claydons, a new classroom at East Claydon School and refurbishments at Steeple Claydon School.

The Foundation has also supported nature conservation projects with the Berks, Bucks, and Oxon Wildlife Trust, as well as with SongBird Survival, which funds research into the causes of the decline in songbirds.

The Country Trust – an educational charity which connects children from areas of high social and economic disadvantage with the land – has also been a very deserving beneficiary of funds from the Foundation.

Future

From helping charities that support rural communities achieve access to healthcare to those helping alleviate food poverty in urban towns, The Verney Foundation continues to evolve.

“In the last two years the Foundation has changed its structure so that we are able to give more grant funding to charities that are servicing the needs of communities today,” says Nicholas.

“We have a deep interest in helping communities local to the Claydon Estate, and further afield across Buckinghamshire, to thrive well into the future.”