Katie Boulter of Great Britain in action against Tyra Caterina Grant of Italy during the Ladies’ Singles first round match on Day Two of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30, 2026 in London, England. ” width=”970″ height=”647″ data-caption=’In June 2025, British tennis player Katie Boulter was named one of the first Wimbledon Foundation Champions, official ambassadors tasked with raising awareness of its work. <span class=”lazyload media-credit”>Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images</span>’>
The Wimbledon Championships have been held annually since 1877, but a newer arm has expanded the tournament’s philanthropic reach. Since 2013, the Wimbledon Foundation has served as the official charity of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and The Championships, distributing grants, donations and programs across a range of sectors within and beyond tennis.
Unlike large endowed institutions such as the Gates Foundation in the U.S. or the Wellcome Trust in the U.K., the Wimbledon Foundation operates as a funding charity that distributes resources it generates. Its funding comes primarily from annual Championship profits and related revenue streams, and it does not follow a fixed payout requirement.
Not to be confused with the soccer-affiliated AFC Wimbledon Foundation, the organization is funded in part by the All England Club, ticket resales, sales of used match tennis balls, and partners such as Barclays and IBM. In 2025, it donated £4.76 million ($6.37 million), bringing its total charitable contributions to more than £24 million ($32.1 million).
Rather than being founded by an individual donor, the foundation was created collectively by the All England Club to formalize its existing philanthropic work. Since 2022, it has been led by head of foundation Paige Murphy, with a team and board of trustees supporting an expanding footprint beyond its local base in Merton and Wandsworth in southwest London.
The people running the Wimbledon Foundation
While the foundation is overseen by the All England Club, its trustees, staff and ambassadors drive its day-to-day work.
Paige Murphy joined as head of the foundation in 2022. With a background in nonprofit grantmaking and community engagement, she oversees initiatives such as the national expansion of Set for Success and the foundation’s long-term strategic planning.
On the trustee side, retired PwC executive Bruce Weatherill has served as chair since 2020. Other board members include:
Sir Keith Ajegbo: Retired university executive, knighted for services to education
Anne Keothavong: Retired professional tennis player and current commentator
Kevin Havelock: Retired Unilever president
Deborah Jevans: Retired professional tennis player and sports executive, including for the International Tennis Federation
Ruth Shaw: Former sports executive, including for Sports Grounds Safety Authority, and current independent consultant
Sir Nick Young: Retired solicitor, knighted for services to cancer care
Sam Oslen: Public sector executive
In June 2025, British tennis players Katie Boulter and Jack Draper were named the first Wimbledon Foundation Champions, official ambassadors tasked with raising awareness of its work.
What the Wimbledon Foundation supports
The foundation distributes its funding through four main grant programs, primarily benefiting communities surrounding the Championships.
Its largest initiative, the Homelessness Fund, provides multi-year support to organizations addressing housing insecurity. Launched in 2019 to mark the completion of the No. 1 Court roof, the fund awarded seven major grants totaling £740,000 ($988,700) in 2025, supporting groups such as Faith in Action Merton Homelessness Project and Glass Door Homeless Charity.
Additional programs include the Community Fund, which supports local social initiatives; the Get Set, Get Active Fund, focused on increasing sports participation; and the Health and Wellbeing Fund, which backs mental and physical health projects. Recipients have included Off the Record Youth Counselling, Waste Not Want Not Battersea, Youth Sport Trust and the Metropolitan & City Police Orphans Fund. In 2025, the foundation supported 102 organizations through these grants.
Beyond grantmaking, the foundation runs partnerships and initiatives, including an international clean water program delivering water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in eight countries, a national crisis housing collaboration and annual contributions to the British Red Cross Disaster Fund.
Its programming also includes Set for Success, a national youth sports initiative delivered with Barclays and Youth Sport Trust; the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative, which brings All England Club coaches into local state schools; and Work at Wimbledon, which provides employment opportunities at The Championships for people facing barriers to work.
