Ark
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Ark works in education, and its geographic focus is given as any part of the world, so the subject fits its stated aims and location is not a stated barrier.
- Most of its grants go to programmes within the Ark family of organisations, and awards are based on each programme's strategic and financial requirements, so an outside charity should expect to be a long shot.
- Neither the annual report nor its register entry nor its website publishes an application process, and the grant range is not stated, so the size of a realistic request cannot be judged from its giving.
- The only route described is to get in touch using the contact shown, and a short enquiry is a sensible first step before any full request.
- Organisations with no connection to the Ark network should be realistic about their chances.
Overview
Ark is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1095322).
Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. It was founded with the mission to have the biggest possible impact on the lives of children, especially those historically left behind. It runs a network of 48 schools, where 34,000 students are learning, and it incubates, launches and scales ventures that share its mission and values. It awarded £2,235,000 in its latest year, according to the annual report, and most of its grants go to programmes within the Ark family of organisations.
What they fund
Priority Areas
Ark is an education charity that works to make sure all children, regardless of background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Its work combines a network of schools with ventures that develop solutions for schools, communities and the wider education sector, including early-years provision, curriculum design, and teacher development. Ark says it has incubated organisations working in education, health, social care and child protection. Its grants are made mostly to programmes within the Ark family of organisations, with awards based on each programme’s strategic and financial requirements. The board reviews requests and regularly reviews performance against grants.
Themes
- Education
Geographic Focus
Any Part Of The World.
How to apply
No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Awards are based on each programme’s strategic and financial requirements.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- International
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Ark.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 August 2021 | £35,012,000 | £25,305,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 August 2021 |
| year to 31 August 2022 | £24,388,000 | £24,150,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 August 2022 |
| year to 31 August 2023 | £25,363,000 | £28,681,000 | — | Accounts for year to 31 August 2023 |
| year to 31 August 2024 | £31,018,000 | £32,351,000 | £27,939,000 | Accounts for year to 31 August 2024 |
| year to 31 August 2025 | £6,410,000 | £7,486,000 | £2,235,000 | Accounts for year to 31 August 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 August 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 August 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- arkonline.org · read on 23 October 2026
- arkonline.org/our-ventures · read on 23 October 2026
- arkonline.org/about-us · read on 23 October 2026
- arkonline.org/contact-us · read on 23 October 2026
- arkonline.org/our-schools/become-an-ark-school · read on 23 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 August 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 23 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Ark?
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Applying to Ark?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required