About

Education

Employability

Healthcare

Conservation

ABOUT

OUR ROLE

The DFN Foundation is a commissioning charity established in 2014 to make a positive difference to the lives of young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Today our reach has grown to influencing policy and funding developments in special needs education, employability, healthcare and conservation.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to transform life outcomes for people throughout the country, bringing positive and lasting change that unlocks natural potential and builds a more inclusive and environmentally conscious society.

OUR STRATEGY

Our partnership strategy is always outcome-driven and has a clear understanding of what we want to achieve. This business-led model is helping us to deliver transformational results, whether that be helping more young people with special needs through education and into full-time employment, to supporting Pangolin conservation and funding advancements in Myeloma research.

OUR PARTNERS

A word from David Forbes-Nixon, Founder and Chairman

Our Trustee Board

David Forbes-Nixon OBE

David serves as Founder and Chairman of the David Forbes-Nixon Family Charitable Foundation (‘DFN Foundation’) which he set up in 2014 and DFN Project SEARCH in 2018.

James Dickson

James worked as an investment manager in London between 1992 and 2013, managing European equities funds at LGT Management, Old Mutual and Meditor Capital Management.

Simon Konsta

With over 25 years of experience, Simon is a senior lawyer with extensive international leadership and management roles and experience. He has acted on a number of landmark disputes on behalf of financial institutions and global professional services firms.

Eric Low OBE

Eric has worked in the life sciences and patient organisation landscape for nearly 30 years. Previously, Eric was CEO of Myeloma UK and Myeloma Patients Europe’s founding president.

Tom O'Berine

Tom has 15+ years of experience in education and related sectors through roles with non-profit and commercial education organisations and in the classroom as a maths teacher.

Harry Forbes-Nixon

Harry has been on the DFN Foundation’s board since 2023 and serves as Vice Chairman and Trustee. He is an FGASA qualified safari guide and helps lead the Foundation’s conservation efforts.

Key Milestones in the first 10 years

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2014

Established DFN Foundation, hired Norman Stromsoy as first CEO and set up board.

2015

Buy Undershaw, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s listed country house and converted it into a special needs school, partnering with Stepping Stones School.

2016

Opened Undershaw with 43 pupils across both sites.

2017

Launched DFN MoveForward, a JV with ThinkForward, a post-16 programme curriculum to give young people employability skills.

2018

Worldwide search for the best supported internship employment courses for people with learning disabilities and autism. DFN discovered Project SEARCH in the US and bought the franchise rights for the UK, Ireland and Iberia and set up DFN Project SEARCH, initiially as a subsidiary of DFN Foundation.

2019

Spun out DFN Project SEARCH as a stand-alone charity with DFN as Chairman and a separate board. Claire Cookson hired as CEO.

2020

Sponsored Big Butterfly Count from 2020-2023

2021

Established CSJ Disability Commission in 2020 and published recommendations in March 2021. Co-founded the Disability Employment Charter with 6 key disability organisations in October 2021 with recommendations from CSJ Disability Commission.

2022

Launched Internship Works in September 2022, with DFN Project SEARCH partnering with NDTi and BASE. The project was funded by the Department for Education with a target to double the current supported internship provision in England by 2025.

2023

DFN Project SEARCH has employed more than 2200 interns and is training 1000+ interns a year across its 140+ host business sites in the UK.

2024

Partnered with The Pangolin Project to ensure survival of the Giant Ground pangolin in the Nyekweri Ecosystem in Kenya.

GET IN TOUCH

Fivefields, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH 02034323402 info@dfnfoundation.org

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Contact

Our registered office: Fivefields, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH

Phone: 02034323402info@dfnfoundation.org

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Our registered office is:
Fivefields, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH

The DFN Charitable Foundation currently has sizeable commitments
and is not accepting grant applications.

Charities Commission
Please find our certificate from the Charities Commission here.