Vision
Our vision is a world in which children and young people who are vision impaired are able to reach their full potential.
Apply for a Grant
Our mission
Our mission is to support vision impaired children, young people and adults aged 25 and under, to improve their emotional and physical well-being, increase their knowledge and skills, and support their independence through the provision of grants to individuals and charitable organisations.
Why we exist
- A vision impairment makes it harder for children to learn from other family members and interact with the world around them.
- Habilitation and educational support varies across the country and is often difficult to access.
- Specialist equipment, training and adaptations can be expensive.
The Foundation
The Powell Family Foundation is an independent, well-resourced Foundation run by Trustees and staff who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of vision impaired children and young people.
TPFF Trustee Biographies
Simon Curtis
Simon worked as a chartered surveyor in private practice for most of his career but for his last job he was head of property for Thomas Pocklington Trust. This involved managing their property portfolio including properties occupied by people with a vision impairment.
He is one of the founding trustees of TPFF.
John Renshaw
John brings his experience from working in senior sales and management roles in the transportation industry, having spent 30 years with a multinational blue chip company.
Latterly he acted as a deputy attorney, which included managing what is now part of TPFF’s property portfolio.
He is one of the founding trustees of TPFF.
David Genders
David is a Chartered Accountant. He spent his entire career working in private practice, specialising in personal and trust taxation. He was also the author of the Daily Telegraph Tax Guide from 1982 to 2019.
He is one of the founding Trustees of TPFF.
Alison Oliver
Alison is currently a freelance consultant in the charity sector specialising in Strategy, Governance and Organisational Design, but was previously Director of Strategic Projects at Thomas Pocklington Trust, CEO of Visionary, and Finance Director at Thomas Pocklington Trust. Alison is a Chartered Accountant and worked in the commercial sector for many years as an auditor, consultant and finance director.
Abigail Sayagh
Abigail qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Goodman Jones and has worked in private practice for over 20 years. She focuses predominantly on property groups and charities, in addition to a variety of entities and individuals as well as advising clients on accounting and tax issues.
John Turnbull
John works in the field of specialist education, specifically in support of CYP with a vision impairment. He has additionally supported people with a vision impairment as part of an integrated sensory support service and led a national transitions team.
John has worked within this very unique discipline for 25 years and is enjoying the challenges brought by being a member of the trustee board for TPFF.
Steve Barton
Steve is a Chartered Surveyor with over 35 years commercial property experience in the corporate sector. He is Property Director and Executive Board member of Dunelm Group plc and was appointed a Trustee in December 2024.
Staff Biographies
Colin Whitbourn
Colin has worked with sight loss charities for over 20 years. At Action for Blind People he worked on employment support, business development and as Director of Partnerships. At RNIB he jointly developed the community networks. As Executive Director of TPFF he oversees the work of the Foundation.
Cathy Hurst
Cathy is the Grants Manager at TPFF and joined the Foundation in April 2023. Cathy has 25 years’ experience working in the voluntary sector in a variety of marketing, communications, events, fundraising and grant making roles to build capacity, improve performance, and increase the effectiveness of small, medium and large charities.
Jenny Collins
Jenny is the Grants Officer at TPFF and joined the Foundation in November 2024. Jenny has 10 years’ experience in the charity sector working in fundraising and grant making roles for different charities. She also has 10 years’ experience in marketing and other roles before joining the charity sector.
How we work
We aim to demonstrate our values in all that we do.
We will be:
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Clear
So everyone knows what we stand for, what we aim to achieve, and what our processes and decisions are. Our policies and procedures will be clear and unambiguous.
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Honest
With no hidden agenda, we will explain our plans, activities and decisions, and not hide from the truth or difficult conversations.
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Accountable
Trustees and staff are accountable for their actions and will ensure their behaviours support our purpose and do not adversely impact the charity.
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Collaborative
We will work with the people we serve (children, young people, parents, guardians) to help us improve our grant making process and identify areas of need. We will work with partner organisations where we can add value and impact.
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Fair and Consistent
We will be diligent in our assessment of grant applications and consider each in a fair, consistent and timely manner.
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Supportive
We will talk to people who are in receipt of a TPFF grant to see if there is any additional help or support we can recommend. We will ensure our colleagues work in a supportive environment where they can develop and contribute fully.
A brief history
The Powell Family Foundation was set up by Rodney Powell, and is funded by the generous legacies of Rodney and his mother Pat. The Powell family has had a long connection with the world of vision impairment, going back nearly a century.
Rodney had a successful career as a chartered surveyor in London and Madrid, and he was a property expert. He served for 37 years as a Trustee of Thomas Pocklington Trust, 26 of those years as Chairman of Trustees.
Pat was a Trustee and later a patron of Thomas Pocklington Trust. Towards the end of her long life it became Pat’s wish to try and do something for blind and vision impaired children and young people.
The Powell Family Foundation was formed in June of 2020. It was established with the intention that it would receive the bulk of the estates of Rodney Powell and his mother Pat Powell, and that it would focus its attention on providing grants to support vision impaired children and young people.
Rodney died in September 2020 at the age of 71. His mother Pat died early in 2021, eight weeks short of her 102nd birthday.
The substantial property portfolios bequeathed to the Foundation by Rodney and Pat provide the resources that fund our activities.
About the grant
The application forms contain guidance notes.
Please get in touch if you have any questions about your eligibility for a grant, the application form or the process.
Applications may be made by, or on behalf of, vision impaired individuals who are aged 25 and under who are permanently resident in the UK and in need of financial assistance. Grants to individuals are typically made in the range of up to £5,000. We have some further guidance notes we suggest you read before applying which can be found here (in the downloadable pdf). Help enabling our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy by filling in the form below.
Applications may be made by charitable organisations registered in the UK, whose work provides direct benefit for vision impaired children and young people. Grants to organisations are typically made in the range of up to £50,000. Trustees will consider other amounts where the case for support is particularly strong.
Grant applications
- Grant applications are invited throughout the year
- The application forms are Word documents
- We may request additional information to support your application
- We will confirm that we have received your application
- We are happy to help with applications; please get in touch
Contact us
Address: Thanet House, 231-232 Strand, London WC2R 1DA
Email: info@tpff.org.uk
Tel: 020 7458 4554
Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or suggestions around grant eligibility, the application process or the form. Your feedback is very welcome.
We would like to hear from organisations who may be interested in collaborating with us.
Contact us 