The Steve Morgan Foundation

The Steve Morgan Foundation is passionately committed to changing lives for good, by working with best in class partners that make a long-term, sustainable impact. Founded in 2001 by businessman and philanthropist, Steve Morgan CBE, we provide funding, support, expertise and best practice to the charities and organisations we support. We focus on:

• Tackling social disadvantage in North West England and North Wales.

• Funding global research into a cure for type 1 diabetes.

With over £300 million invested over the last 25 years; SMF is committed to long-term, systemic change—not just short-term fixes.

Our approach is to:

• Fund smart: Back proven and innovative solutions.

• Fix root causes: Address poverty, poor health, and inequality.

• Share knowledge: Influence wider policy and practice.

• Build for the future: Ensure sustainability beyond funding.

Whilst everyone associated with the Foundation is proud and humbled at what we have achieved over the past 25 years, now is the time to step up and deliver more meaningful, powerful and lasting change. This is why we are significantly scaling up our support and pledging £100m over the next five years.

We feel that our strength lies in our long-term vision, partnership approach and commitment to our region. Thanks to our founder Steve Morgan's continued generosity, we can plan what we want to deliver over the next five years, as well as the strategic aspiration is for the next 25. This enables:

Ambitious, strategic philanthropy.

Deep partnerships with grantees and communities.

An unwavering focus on lasting change for children, young people, and families.

1. Application & Selection

• High volume of applications

• Difficulty comparing diverse projects.

• Time-intensive due diligence.

2. Monitoring & Evaluation

• Inconsistent impact data.

• Limited learning from outcomes.

3. Relationship Management

• Navigating power dynamics.

4. Strategic Alignment

• Avoiding mission drift.

• Balancing innovation with risk.

5. Internal Capacity

• Limited staff time.

• Need for better feedback loops.

SMF discovered Plinth through sector events. The platform's values and strategic alignment with SMF stood out—particularly its focus on:

Efficiency: Reducing admin burden.

Impact: Enabling more time for meaningful work.

Flexibility: Customisable to SMF's evolving needs.

We've only been using the system now for a few months but it certainly has revolutionised our thinking and ways of working internally.

Though still early in implementation, Plinth has already:

Freed up time and headspace for strategic thinking.

Streamlined internal processes.

Improved clarity in how SMF supports grantees and the wider sector.

Customisation: The system evolves with SMF's needs.

Collaborative development: Plinth's team proactively co-creates improvements.

Shared mission: A genuine partnership focused on maximising social impact.

Although we're still in the early stages, Plinth has already made a significant difference. For the first time, we've been able to standardise the recommendation reports we present to trustees. Previously, reports varied in format and depth, making it harder to make consistent, evidence-informed decisions. The new structure has brought clarity, focus, and better insight—enabling more confident, strategic funding decisions.

The onboarding experience was exceptional. Tom and the Plinth team were highly engaged, responsive, and open to feedback. Their willingness to adapt the system to our needs—even when it meant more work for them—was impressive. In over two decades in the sector, it's one of the most positive onboarding experiences I've had.

Naturally, we had initial reservations—accuracy, decision-making, and readiness for our context were all questions. But we see AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human judgment. Our team uses it to generate insights from high-quality inputs, always with checks and balances in place. It's a partnership—AI adds value, but people remain central.

Absolutely. If your organisation is spending too much time on admin and not enough on impact, Plinth is worth exploring. We'd be happy to speak with others considering the journey—it's helped us focus more on what really matters: supporting communities and driving change.