Freelands Foundation
Freelands Foundation is a private foundation established in 2015 and headquartered in London, England. The organization is dedicated to advancing art education and supporting artists, with a particular focus on the intrinsic value of art-making and its role in fostering creativity, resilience, and critical thinking. The foundation operates a public gallery in London that is open four days per week and maintains a growing library of art education resources.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$2.8M
-35.0% YoY
Grant Count
48
-7.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$59K
-29.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Freelands Foundation believes art is central to a broad and balanced education and a right for everyone. The foundation is driven by a conviction in the vital role of learning and making to foster creativity, resilience, criticality, and problem-solving that empowers people for the future.
The foundation champions the symbiotic relationship between teaching, learning, and making art, and encourages artists to teach while viewing teaching as an artistic practice. It values lifelong learning as integral to artists' work and enables collaborative relationships with teachers, schools, universities, galleries, and museums.
Primary focus areas include:
- Art Education: Supporting progressive approaches to teaching art at all levels, from primary to postgraduate, as well as outside formal education systems
- Artist Development: Supporting emerging artists through grants and fellowships
- Exhibitions: Hosting varied exhibitions relating to the foundation's work and themes
- Publications: Creating publications for artist development projects and other initiatives
- Research & Action: Commissioning innovative action research to inform the foundation's support and advance the sector
Grantmaking
The foundation provides vital funding through grants, awards, fellowships, and residencies to support art education and artist development.
Grant Range
of £40,000 and a maximum grant of £298,000. Total distributions in 2024 were $5.9 million.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds work in the United Kingdom, with specific emphasis on the four UK nations through the Freelands Artist Programme.
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total assets: $68,239,626
- Total revenues: $1,172,529
- Total expenses: $5,458,029
- Total distributions: $5.9 million
- Number of employees: 5 (per one source); 27 (per another source)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
180 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Key personnel include:
- Elisabeth Murdoch – Treasurer and Director
- Nick Pianim – President and Director
- Paula Wardynski – Secretary and Director
- Dr. Henry Ward – Creative Director
- Amy Walker – Chief Operating Officer
- Jessica Hewitt – Head of Finance
- Victoria Carmichael – Head of Education
- Meghan Goodeve – Head of Artist Development
- Mark Devereux – Trustee
- Sarah von Schmidt – Trustee
- Keith Tyson – Trustee
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELISABETH MURDOCH | TREASURER, DIRECTOR | 10 | — |
| PAULA WARDYNSKI | SECRETARY, DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| NICK PIANIM | PRESIDENT, DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| DR HENRY WARD | CREATIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $193,248 |
| MARK DEVEREUX | TRUSTEE | 7 | — |
| SARAH VON SCHMIDT | TRUSTEE | 5 | — |
| KEITH TYSON | TRUSTEE | 5 | — |
| AMY WALKER | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $148,770 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation continues to actively support art education across the UK. Recent initiatives include the third annual Freelands Painting Prize exhibition, which supports the teaching of painting at art schools across the UK. The foundation is actively recruiting for new positions, including a Programme Assistant role to support programming activities.
Freelands Foundation Unveils \xA31.5 million Awards Supporting Art ...Related Funders
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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