About us
Here at Les Mills Fund for Children (LMFC) we support many charities and charitable projects with the goal to make the planet a fitter and healthier place. We raise vital funds to help children in the UK live a healthier lifestyle and are supported by Les Mills UK.
We work with organisations that have the passion and resources to help children. We award funds to improve the education as well as the physical and emotional wellbeing of children in order to create a healthier society.
Our story
For nearly 30 years Les Mills has been making the world a fitter place. Since the early 1980s, Les Mills has created scientifically backed group fitness classes to help millions of people across the world achieve their health and fitness goals.
However in recent years there has been a global increase in inactivity and obesity amongst the young. We felt it was vital that children were given the chance to learn about, be inspired by and experience exercise so that they could live healthier lives. To help achieve this Les Mills Fund for Children was created.
Our aim
We are passionate about transforming the lives of children and want to instil the next generation with a lifelong love of physical activity and learning. We want to feed their natural appetite for action, motion and play — and give them the joy, energy, confidence and fitness that come with it.
Our aim is to grow the number of children who are active. We know that children need to be educated and be given the opportunity to exercise, so we provide grant funding for charities that are associated with our values to achieve this goal.
Who we support
Les Mills Fund for Children is focused on raising funds and supporting the communities that we live in. We do this through targeted grant-giving, our own fundraising programmes and campaigns so we can help children who:
- Are inactive and/or suffering from obesity
- Are living in poverty and danger
- Are living with a disability
- Lack the access to health and wellbeing opportunities
- Have physical and mental health problems
Our Structure
We are a charitable fund that operates under DM Thomas Foundation for Young People. LMFC helps children get the education and support to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing to help create a healthier society. We support multiple charities and projects within the UK & NI that encourage improvements in education and health for children and young people.
National Office
Address: Les Mills Fund for Children c/o DM Thomas Foundation for Young People,
179-199 Holland Park Avenue, London W11 4UL
Phone: 0207 605 7733
Fax: 0207 605 7736
Email info@lesmillsfundforchildren.org.uk
Website: http://www.lesmillsfundforchildren.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1084220 (England & Wales)
Board of trustees
LMFC is operated by DM Thomas Foundation for Young People which is overseen by seven trustees and operationalised by an executive office. The Foundation manage the administration of the funds, to ensure we meet all legal requirements of running the Fund.
The advisory committee
Considers applications to the charity grant funding, taking expert advice where required. The AC comprises senior Les Mills executives and independent experts in the fields of education, health and fitness. Grants are reviewed on a quarterly basis when the committee meets.
How we operate
Les Mills Fund for Children has two main activities.
The first is raising the money that is used to fund charitable projects within the UK. In order to do this we carry out a wide variety of work. Our sources include customer donations in line with our Les Mills UK events, licence sales, training and product sales, and member fundraising. As we receive no funding from the government or statutory bodies it is vital that we continue to develop all of these sources.
Our second activity is the processing of applications and the administration of grants. Once a project has been selected for funding by our advisory committee we have systems in place that ensure that the charities, or projects involved, use the award money in precisely the way it was intended. As the projects are underway we receive reports detailing the progress being made before a final review is written at the conclusion of each project.
Les Mills Fund for Children does not accept unsolicited applications at the moment, instead it approaches charities which share the vision and values of LMFC to partner on projects impacting on the lives of children.
How we raise money
Les Mills has been at the forefront of creating a global fitness community for 30 years and has a strong following which includes trainers, instructors, fitness enthusiasts and general consumers. By using our extensive community we are able to generate funds through targeted direct mail, events, licenced products and services and online activities. This has allowed us to build a loyal and responsive database of donors, who feel involved in what we do.
How we use the money
Our advisory committee meets quarterly to invite grant proposals from charities and individual projects, working in the youth health and fitness field.
Our advisory committee (AC) comprises senior Les Mills executives and independent experts in the fields of education, health and fitness. Its members meet to evaluate the proposals and advise the board on the most appropriate areas for support. Once the AC has graded the proposals we fund as many as we can of those projects achieving the highest scores.
All operating costs of LMFC are funded by Les Mills UK so that every net pound raised goes directly to good causes.