Who we are
Buttle’s beginnings
Reverend Frank Buttle had a clear, ambitious vision: raise £1 million to “launch 1,000 children each year out of poverty.”
It was bold. It was direct. It was decades ahead of its time. It was typically Frank.
As a young clergyman from the East End, he was determined to protect children who had no one else to stand up for them. In 1916, he founded the National Adoption Society to help babies without families find safe, loving homes. He later played a key role in shaping the 1926 Adoption of Children Act, changing the lives of thousands stuck in child poverty.
By 1937, Frank had set his sights on something even bigger: a long-term fund that would support children facing hardship for generations to come.
When he died on 11 February 1953, he was just £80,000 short of his £1 million target. His legacy became the foundation of Buttle — a trusted charity for children. The charity has been growing, investing and supporting children dismantled by disadvantage ever since.
As we’ve evolved, our work has expanded, from emergency relief to research, advocacy, multi-year grants and deeper programmes. Frank’s original belief remains at the centre of everything we do:
Give children and young people the things that matter in childhood, right when they need them most.
This guided us then, and it drives us now.
Sadly, the issues that inspired Frank to act 80 years ago are still being confronted day-to-day by Buttle. I’m sure Frank would be proud of Buttle's work today, but would be sorry (although not surprised) that its services are still so necessary.
Richard Buttle, Frank’s nephew
Our endowment
When Buttle was founded in 1953, Frank’s endowment was just under £1 million. Today, through careful stewardship, it’s now worth over £60 million.
The endowment was set up to be permanent. That means our trustees must balance two responsibilities:
- Supporting children and young people right now.
- Protecting the fund so it can continue supporting future generations.
As a result, the endowment cannot be spent in its entirety, but can be invested to generate annual income. Those investments provide a little over £2 million each year for our work.
Even so, the need in the UK is growing, and £2 million alone just isn’t enough. With permission from the Charity Commission, we responsibly draw a small amount of additional capital each year and complement this with active fundraising.
Having a strong endowment gives us something rare among child poverty charities in the UK: the ability to innovate, test and act quickly when children need us most.
It allows us to:
- pilot multi-year grants
- invest in advocacy and campaigning
- build deep, long-term programmes
- rapidly respond to crises affecting children and young people across the UK
Frank wanted every child to have access to the things that make childhood feel like childhood.
His endowment ensures we can keep that promise.
Today, tomorrow and long into a hopeful future.