The Fund

"A Robin for every story."

The Ricki Robin Fund is a pot of money set aside from every sale. £2 from every order is ring-fenced — kept separate from operating costs — and paid out to small creative and community projects.

This is how the brand carries Ricki forward. She gave me a chance when no one else would. The Fund passes that chance on — to artists working from a kitchen table, makers running practices from a shed, community groups doing real work without institutional backing.

What the Fund supports

Year 1 focus areas:

  • Small creative projects — artists, writers, filmmakers, illustrators, musicians working independently or at early stages.
  • Community projects — local groups doing practical work: a community garden, a neighbourhood repair shop, a small library initiative, a food share.
  • Independent makers — anyone running a small making practice who could use a few hundred pounds for materials, a collaborator, or a small event.

The scale we fund is the scale where a few hundred pounds or a few thousand pounds makes a meaningful difference. Not projects with institutional funding. Not registered charities with millions in the bank. The work being done by a person or a small group, from a community centre, a kitchen table, a shed, a studio, or a borrowed room.

How it works

Every sale triggers a £2 allocation to the Fund. The £2 is ring-fenced — moved from the operating account to a separate Fund account every month.

Fund money is distributed three ways:

  • Direct grants — to projects we find and vet ourselves.
  • Designer-nominated grants — once the designer programme opens later in 2026, each Ricki Robin designer will be able to nominate one project a year to receive Fund support.
  • Emergency response — if a small project we know is in immediate need, we can act fast within the Fund's reserves.

Every grant is recorded in a public ledger — project name, amount, date — and published in the annual impact report. The first report publishes January 2027, covering trading from launch through the end of December 2026.

How to nominate or get in touch

For now, the Fund operates by nomination — either from us or via a trusted introduction. Once the designer programme opens later in 2026, each Ricki Robin designer will also be able to nominate one project a year. There's no open application form yet because we don't have the capacity to handle one fairly.

If you know a project that fits — a creative project at early stage, a small community initiative, an independent maker working at the right scale — write to support@ricki-robin.com with a few sentences about the project and why you think it fits.

We read every email. We can't always reply, and we can't always fund. But the Fund only works if we hear about projects we wouldn't otherwise find.

What the Fund isn't
  • Not a registered charity. The Fund is a ring-fenced ledger line within Ricki Robin Ltd. We don't claim Gift Aid, tax-exempt status, or charitable registration.
  • Not a grant scheme with application windows. Year 1 is nomination-only.
  • Not an endorsement engine. Funding a project doesn't mean we agree with everything a recipient does. We fund the work.
  • Not a marketing tool. The £2 doesn't feature on every product card; the Fund is a brand promise, not a positioning device.
  • Not retroactive. The Fund accrues from day one of trading. Anything sold before launch contributes nothing.