The Fore Team

Mary Rose has been a pioneer in the grant making space since 2012.  She founded The Fore in 2017 after a four year pilot run under the umbrella of The Bulldog Trust.  Until 2022 she ran The Bulldog Trust and its public programmes at Two Temple Place alongside The Fore.  Previously she worked within politics and the media. She is a Trustee of INTBAU and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2018 she was named as one of the Pioneers Post’s 100 Women In Social Enterprise. From 2020-2022 she served as a Commissioner on the Law Family Commission on Civil Society.

Francis brings extensive experience across the private and social sectors. Before joining The Fore, he managed a £45 million programme focused on helping communities improve their neighbourhoods and quality of life. As Director of Operations, Francis leads The Fore’s Programmes and Partnerships teams, ensuring they have the systems, support and strategic direction needed to deliver. He also works closely with the Board on high‑level strategic initiatives and oversees The Fore’s impact and learning work, helping to strengthen the organisation and amplify its reach.

Eda’s experience centres on resourcing grassroots solutions through tools such as microfinance, fiscal hosting, and participatory grant making. Prior to joining The Fore, she worked for The Social Change Nest, leading the service delivery team through a period of transformational change as they grew five-fold in three years. At The Fore, Eda oversees our grants programme and impact work, while also shaping new initiatives to strengthen connections between charities and funders.

Elspeth works with current and potential funding partners and manages the Pro Bono Programme, matching skilled volunteers to small charities within The Fore’s portfolio as trustees, mentors, advisors, and project volunteers. Elspeth studied business at the University of Leeds and has a passion for using business practices and models to create social change. She is a trustee for Know Your Worth, a charity helping girls with their self-esteem.

Alex has several years’ experience in administration, project management and running successful events. She was Visitor Services Manager for exhibitions at Two Temple Place, responsible for welcoming thousands of guests.  She then went to the Museum of London, to manage their extensive volunteering programme. A change in direction led her into proofreading which she now does freelance, alongside her part-time role as Executive Assistant and Special Projects Manager at The Fore. 

Kelly is working closely with the Programmes team to deliver our funding rounds and curate The Fore’s wraparound support programmes. Having studied Psychology at undergraduate level and volunteered with children’s charities, Kelly is committed to supporting applicants and our Strategic Applicant Consultants, as well as helping to nurture our community of portfolio charities.

Robert is working to deliver our funding rounds and wraparound support programmes. He has an extensive background in hospitality, founding his own business in 2020. He is also the co-founder of Dinner on the Hill, a community initiative that provides a monthly free three-course meal to families accessing food support in Lewisham. He is a passionate advocate for grassroots charities and is committed to supporting applicants and our portfolio charities to make meaningful change.

Lucy works closely with both the Programmes and Partnerships team at The Fore, delivering support where needed. She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Durham University, where she had a particular interest in business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Lucy has first-hand experience of fundraising at university through her involvement in a charity fashion show, which raised over £30,000 for Durham City of Sanctuary. She is keen to help bridge the gap between the private and charity sectors, having volunteered at a winter night shelter for people experiencing homelessness and a programme providing hot meals for low-income families during the school holidays.

Anna works closely with the team at The Fore to develop and execute their communications strategy. She is a dedicated advocate for grassroots organisations, having served as a trustee at a new Riding for the Disabled centre and working predominantly with small start-up charities and social enterprises to strengthen their messaging for rapid early growth.

She holds a degree in Geography and has a strong interest in environmental issues. Anna believes in the power of social enterprises to address environmental challenges at a local level and was involved in the People Planet Pint movement during its early stages, serving as one of the founding volunteer hosts bringing people together to drive local change.

Anna is an Associate of The Chartered Institute of Marketing and previously held senior leadership positions in schools across Hong Kong and the UK.

Maria was The Fore’s Programme Manager from 2020 to 2022. She established and currently runs impact measurement courses for our portfolio charities – ‘Introduction to Impact’ and ‘Demonstrating Impact: Practice & Innovation’ – and supports them with additional 1:1 evaluation support. She previously worked in grants management and research and evaluation at Social Investment Business, as well as having worked for small charities such as Brighton Oasis Project. Maria now pursues a career in the arts. She is Co-Director of NDP Circus, Artistic Director of Company Scheherazade and produces the South Hams Festival. She works as a Choreographer, Director and Movement Director with organisations such as the Royal Shakespeare Company. She also advises arts organisations on fundraising and impact measurement.