The Stone Family Foundation

The Stone Family Foundation is a UK-based funder supporting innovative, sustainable and entrepreneurial approaches to major social problems, in the UK and around the world.

Since September 2010, the Foundation’s main focus has been on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Our goal is to find and support lasting and effective ways to promote good sanitation, safe water and good hygiene across the world.

The Foundation was set up in 2005 by John Stone, a British entrepreneur, and currently has an annual expenditure of roughly £5m. The majority of the Foundation’s funding is targeted at WASH, but it also supports projects in the UK for adult mental health and disadvantaged youth.

The Stone Prize for innovation and entrepreneurship in water was launched in 2012 to complement the Foundation’s existing funding programme. We hoped to find and shine a spotlight on new and exciting initiatives that don’t get the support and the attention they need to achieve their full potential. We also launched the Prize to get people thinking about innovation and entrepreneurship in water, and pioneering ideas and approaches which could have a significant impact in the sector.

New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) worked with the Stone family through the early stages of their giving journey, helping them to devise a strategy for the Foundation’s funding.  NPC now advises the Foundation on a day-to-day basis, and coordinated and administered the Stone Prize for innovation and entrepreneurship in water.