Who We Are
Photo: Snowchange Cooperative
Our organisations are founded by the Cournoyer family.
Their philanthropic work started in Peru in 2000, where part of the family comes from. Hampshire Foundation supported farmer cooperatives, agribusinesses and lending institutions to give smallholder farmers access to finance, agricultural inputs and markets. From 2013, Montpelier Foundation expanded the work to Africa and Asia to help rural communities improve their livelihoods and young people access education and jobs.
In 2020, at the start of the decisive decade for climate, the foundations started a new strategy focused on climate change. We continue to support our existing partners in the livelihoods sector.
We have highly engaged trustees based in the US and the UK
Nick Cournoyer
Nick co-founded the Hampshire Foundation with Sabina, and later on founded the Montpelier Foundation in the UK with his wife Lara. He is a director of both, and chair of Montpelier. Nick steers our global work, including our livelihoods programme and climate programme.
He is based in London, UK.
Sabina Cournoyer de Shelby
Sabina is co-founder and President of Hampshire Foundation, Inc. in the U.S. She leads the foundation’s environmental programme in Connecticut, where she is based.
With her brother Nick, Sabina also steers the foundations’ global climate work.
Richard Brass
Richard is a director of Montpelier Foundation. Since inception, he has helped us become a sensible, valuable funder to our partners. Richard founded Impact Ventures UK, an impact-investing fund, and he chairs the Arts and Culture Impact Fund. He co-founded ReGenerate Trust and also sits on the advisory councils of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Big Society Capital.
He is based in the UK.
We have a tight-knit programme team who is based in London, UK
Agathe Bourgon
Agathe joined Montpelier Foundation in 2013. She has supported the foundations’ social investments and grantees in Peru and globally. She is also on the board of Hampshire Foundation.
For our climate work, Agathe leads on grassroots action and public engagement, as well as on land restoration and carbon markets.
Louise Busson
Louise joined our team in 2014. Louise has helped build our portfolio of partners, especially those serving disadvantaged youth in the UK and around the world, and our foundation strategy at large.
For our climate work, Louise leads on land use programming and methane reduction.
Mireya Alvarez
Mireya joined us in 2015. Mireya runs our rural livelihoods work in Africa and Asia, and has led on a number of social investments, while shaping our general direction.
Mireya’s climate work covers legal action and finance.
Ellie Lawson
Ellie is our newest team member, joining in 2022 to support the team.
She holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Nottingham and an MSc in Humanitarian Engineering with Sustainability from the University of Warwick.
We are supported by a network of advisors and collaborators.
Impatience Earth
Climate Leadership Initiative (CLI)
Environmental Funders Network (EFN)
Co-Impact
Photo: Tenure Facility
Who We Are
Our Approach
Climate Partners
