The Symington Impact Fund

In 2020 we are celebrating two historic milestones – the 200th anniversary of Graham’s Port (established 1820) and the 350th anniversary of Warre’s Port (established 1670). To mark these two events – a reflection of the longstanding friendship between Portugal and Britain – we have created a new Impact Fund with an initial pledge of €1 million euros.

The Symington Impact Fund will primarily support positive causes in the Douro and Greater Porto regions as well as the Alto Alentejo. The focus areas are 1) community wellbeing and health, 2) environmental protection and conservation, and 3) cultural heritage and education.

The fund will have a twelve-month funding cycle as well as an additional annual contribution from Symington Family Estates, with the objective of ensuring that the fund’s value increases in order to provide sustainable long-term support to key initiatives and partners.

Our current Impact Fund partners include the Volunteer Emergency Services of the Douro region (13 ambulances donated to-date) and Bagos d’Ouro (a charity that provides education and opportunities for underprivileged children in the Douro). A new partner working in the area of environmental protection and conservation will be announced shortly.

“We have always sought to run our family business in a way that benefits people – be they our employees or the wider community. We are also committed to protecting the beautiful natural environments where we produce our wines. We have consistently reinvested in the Douro region and have a long history of supporting social initiatives in the areas where we work. The Symington Impact Fund is a way of formalising this commitment and ensuring we support projects which are most aligned with our values and where we can have the maximum positive impact.”
– Rupert Symington, CEO, Symington Family Estates