Howden Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £1.2M+ (2022-2023)
• Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation-only)
• Decision Time: Varies (multi-year strategic partnerships)
• Grant Range: £34,000 - £400,000+ (known examples)
• Geographic Focus: International (focus on climate-vulnerable regions in Global South)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.howdenfoundation.com

Email: info@howdenfoundation.com

Phone: 020 7398 4888

Charity Number: 1156286 (England & Wales)

Important: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. They source grant proposals through their networks and trusted advisors.

Overview

The Howden Foundation was established in 2014 as the corporate foundation of Howden, a global insurance group. In 2020, the foundation's capacity was transformed when Howden and its employees pledged shares worth £2.25 million, making the foundation a significant shareholder and enabling a 34-fold increase in donations. The foundation's mission is to protect people against the social and economic shocks of climate change, with a strategic focus on extreme heat and drought impacts on vulnerable communities. Since inception, they have donated over £5.6 million to global charitable partners. In 2025, the foundation became a founding partner in the Adaptation and Resilience Fund, a $50 million coalition with ClimateWorks Foundation, Laudes Foundation, Quadrature Climate Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation. The foundation takes a people-centered approach, emphasizing locally-led solutions and long-term strategic partnerships.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates several funding streams:

Climate Adaptation Programme (launched 2023): Multi-year strategic partnerships focusing on extreme heat and drought resilience. Known grants range from £34,000 (emergency response) to £400,000+ (strategic partnerships). Examples include £400,000 to Start Network for climate resilience solutions.

People First Fund: Employee-nominated match funding program, has distributed over £1 million to date. Available to Howden employees for personal fundraising or charitable donations.

Howden Foundation Charity Awards: Annual employee-nominated awards offering up to £30,000 for winning charities, with runner-up awards of £2,000 and £1,000.

Adaptation and Resilience Fund: As a founding partner, the foundation contributes to this $50 million fund supporting locally-led climate adaptation efforts.

Application Method: Invitation-only through networks and trusted advisors. No unsolicited applications accepted.

Priority Areas

The foundation funds interventions across three interconnected pillars:

Prepare (Anticipation): Solutions that mitigate risks of extreme heat and drought before they occur, including:

• Climate risk assessments and early warning systems
• Disaster response planning
• Risk analytics tools (e.g., J-ADAPT Toolkit)

Adapt (Adaptation): Solutions enabling frontline communities to withstand extreme weather impacts, including:

• Sustainable infrastructure development
• Nature-based solutions (e.g., coral reef insurance, sand dams)
• Urban cooling initiatives for vulnerable populations
• Refugee-led clean energy solutions

Recover (Protection): Solutions providing financial security and livelihood protection, including:

• Parametric insurance products for extreme weather
• Premium subsidies for low-income farmers and communities
• Pre-agreed finance mechanisms
• Livelihood protection schemes (e.g., Women's Climate Shock Insurance)

Geographic Focus: Global South regions facing extreme heat and drought, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa refugee camps, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, and vulnerable U.S. regions (Hawai'i).

Target Beneficiaries: Vulnerable communities on climate crisis frontlines, including smallholder farmers, displaced persons in refugee camps, urban poor facing extreme heat, coastal communities, and women-led households.

Key Approach: The foundation prioritizes people-centered, locally-led solutions over externally imposed interventions. They support both untested innovations and established approaches designed for long-term systemic change. Multi-year strategic partnerships are preferred over one-off grants.

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the following can be inferred from their focused strategy:

• Projects outside climate adaptation and resilience
• Organizations not focused on vulnerable communities in climate-impacted regions
• Unsolicited applications from organizations outside their network
• Projects not centered on extreme heat, drought, or extreme weather impacts
• Mitigation-only projects without adaptation components
• Short-term or one-off initiatives without strategic partnership potential

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Governance and Leadership

Executive Team

Claire Harbron, Chief Executive Officer: Joined May 2025 with 15 years of climate philanthropy experience. Previously Chief Investment Officer at BHP Foundation, overseeing annual portfolio of $50+ million. Harbron states: “Extreme weather events – driven by climate change – are the biggest risk the world faces over the next decade. Philanthropy has a critical role to play in supporting those most impacted to access the information and resources that they need to respond.”

Clare Ballantine, Chief Operating Officer: Promoted May 2025 after overseeing grantmaking and strategy development for the foundation.

Hannah Torkington, Partnerships Manager

Meghann Sherwood, Senior Partnerships Officer

Board of Trustees

David Howden CBE, Chair: Founder and Group CEO of Howden. States: “We, at the Howden Foundation, know effective and cost-efficient solutions exist to ease the worst effects of extreme heat. We are giving to help those suffering from the crushing impact of heat and drought... To make the biggest impact philanthropy and business must join forces. Action is needed now.”

Louise Cable-Alexander: One of three founding members of Howden with three decades of experience. Serves on Howden D&I committee and foundation board.

Heather (Surname not publicly listed): Over 40 years' experience in specialty (re)insurance business. Independent non-executive director at DUAL (Howden's underwriting arm).

Rebecca: Chief Risk Officer at Howden, joined foundation board 2021. Previously CRO at Lloyd's managing agency.

Serge: Chief Financial Officer of Howden Europe, Growth and Innovation with nearly 25 years in financial services. Joined foundation board 2025.

Anshu: Ten years of impact investing experience, supported 40+ early to growth-stage ventures tackling global development challenges.

Additional trustees oversee governance with expertise spanning insurance, impact investing, corporate sustainability, and international development.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Critical Note: The Howden Foundation operates an invitation-only grant application process. They do not accept unsolicited applications for funding.

Their Approach: The foundation sources grant proposals through a “trusted and diverse network of advisors” to identify partnerships aligned with their strategic priorities. Organizations cannot apply directly but may be identified through:

• Existing network connections
• Referrals from trusted advisors
• Partnerships with other foundations (e.g., through Adaptation and Resilience Fund)
• Relationships with technical partners and sector experts

For Inquiries: Organizations can email info@howdenfoundation.com with questions, though this is not an application route.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly available. However, the foundation emphasizes:

• Focus on “long-term, strategic partnerships” rather than quick grant cycles
• Multi-year funding commitments to provide “income security” for partners
• Collaborative approach involving “technical advice, resources, and organizational support” beyond just funding

This suggests a thorough due diligence process for new partnerships, likely taking several months from initial contact to funding decision.

Success Rates

Not applicable due to invitation-only model. Organizations are selected through networks rather than open competition.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable due to invitation-only model. Organizations do not submit applications in the traditional sense.

Application Success Factors

Given the invitation-only nature, organizations are unlikely to successfully apply directly. However, understanding what the foundation values can inform networking and positioning strategies:

What the Foundation Looks For

People-Centered Approach: The foundation emphasizes "we don't hold the answers – instead, we're here to support communities to drive their own positive change." Solutions must empower frontline communities to lead their own adaptation responses rather than imposing external solutions.

Long-Term Strategic Potential: The foundation seeks partnerships that can provide “income security and reduce time spent on fundraising, freeing up more time to focus on and shape programme delivery.” They value multi-year commitments over one-off projects.

Innovation and Impact: They support “untested as well as more established approaches” and prioritize “early-stage, collaborative interventions that can effectively manage risk, both now and in the future.”

Systemic Change: The foundation commits to sharing successful models “with other funders and practitioners” to maximize broader impact beyond individual grants.

Alignment with Insurance Sector Expertise: As the corporate foundation of a global insurance group, they value interventions involving risk management, parametric insurance, financial protection mechanisms, and quantifiable risk reduction.

Examples of Funded Projects

• Ashden Climate Solutions: Support for nine refugee-led organizations in Northern Kenya and Uganda developing clean energy solutions in refugee camps
• Climate Resilience for All: Women's Climate Shock Insurance protecting 50,000 women and families with close to $600,000 in extreme heat insurance
• Environmental Change Institute (Oxford): J-ADAPT Toolkit development for climate risk analytics
• Humanity Insured: Premium subsidies for drought and extreme heat insurance for low-income farmers and displaced persons
• Start Network: £400,000 for climate resilience solutions in at-risk countries
• SEEDS India: Urban cooling and extreme heat resilience for vulnerable communities in New Delhi
• The Nature Conservancy: Coral reef insurance policy development for Hawai'i reef restoration

Strategic Positioning

Network Building: Focus on connecting with the foundation's existing partners, advisors, and the broader Adaptation and Resilience Fund coalition (ClimateWorks, Rockefeller, Laudes, Quadrature).

Demonstration of Impact: Quantifiable evidence of climate risk reduction and community-led outcomes will resonate with the foundation's insurance sector roots.

Geographic Alignment: Projects in South Asia, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and East Africa facing extreme heat and drought are priority regions.

Innovation: Novel approaches to climate adaptation, particularly involving financial instruments, insurance mechanisms, or early warning systems, may attract attention.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Direct Application Possible: This funder operates invitation-only and does not accept unsolicited applications. Traditional grant writing approaches will not work.

• Network-Based Strategy Required: Organizations seeking funding must focus on networking with the foundation's existing partners, the Adaptation and Resilience Fund coalition, and sector advisors in climate adaptation.

• People-Centered Solutions Essential: Demonstrate that affected communities lead project design and implementation rather than being passive recipients.

• Long-Term Partnership Focus: The foundation seeks multi-year strategic relationships, not one-off grants. Organizations must show capacity for sustained partnership.

• Climate-Specific Mandate: Only organizations working on extreme heat, drought, and extreme weather adaptation for vulnerable communities will align with current priorities.

• Insurance and Risk Management Angle: Given Howden's insurance business background, projects incorporating financial protection mechanisms, parametric insurance, or quantifiable risk reduction may have strategic advantage.

• Global South Geographic Focus: Priority regions include South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Projects outside these areas are less likely to align unless addressing similar climate vulnerabilities.

• Employee Programs Accessible: While strategic grant programs are invitation-only, Howden employees can access the People First Fund for match funding and nominate organizations for Charity Awards.

References

1. Howden Foundation official website - About Us (https://www.howdenfoundation.com/about-us) -
2. Howden Foundation - Our Approach (https://www.howdenfoundation.com/our-approach) -
3. Howden Foundation - Our Partners (https://www.howdenfoundation.com/partners) -
4. UK Charity Commission Register - Howden Group Foundation, Charity Number 1156286 (https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1156286) -
5. Howden Group Holdings - Howden Foundation page (https://www.howdengroupholdings.com/sustainability/howden-foundation) -
6. Howden Group - Social Impact and Sustainability (https://www.howdengroup.com/corporate-social-responsibility) -
7. ClimateWorks Foundation - “Foundations Launch $50 Million Adaptation and Resilience Fund” press release (https://www.climateworks.org/press-release/foundations-launch-50-million-adaptation-and-resilience-fund/) -
8. Environmental Change Institute, Oxford - “Partnership with Howden Foundation” announcement (https://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/partnership-howden-foundation-aims-mobilise-fairer-and-more-just-distribution-support) -
9. Howden Group Holdings - “Howden Foundation supports a new, people-focused climate fund” (https://www.howdengroupholdings.com/insights/howden-foundation-supports-a-new-people-focused-climate-fund) -