Peter Harrison Foundation

Charity Number: 1076579

Annual Expenditure: £1.9M
Throughout England And Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

Contact Info

Website: www.peterharrisonfoundation.org

Phone: 01737 228010

Email: enquiries@peterharrisonfoundation.org

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1.5 million (approximately £1.7 million in 2023-24)
  • Total Endowment: £45 million (£30 million initial + £15 million in 2010)
  • Success Rate: 18% (2023/24) - recently dropped to less than 5% due to unprecedented demand
  • Decision Time: Within 4 months of application deadline
  • Grant Range: Up to £5,000 (small grants); £5,001 - £30,000 (major grants)
  • Geographic Focus: Active Lives - UK-wide; Positive Futures - South East England only
  • Total Giving Since 1999: Over £52 million across 1,762 grants to 1,089 charities

Contact Details

  • Website: www.peterharrisonfoundation.org
  • Email: enquiries@peterharrisonfoundation.org
  • Phone: 01737 228010
  • Online Application Portal: Available via website (registration required)

Current Status: The Foundation closed to new applications from 2 April 2025 until further notice due to unprecedented demand.

Overview

The Peter Harrison Foundation was established in 1999 by Sir Peter Robert Harrison KGCN CBE (1937-2021), a British businessman and philanthropist who sold his marine instruments company Chernikeeff for £300 million. In 2000, Harrison and his family gifted the Foundation a capital endowment of £30 million, contributing a further £15 million in 2010. Since its founding, the Foundation has awarded over £52 million in 1,762 grants to 1,089 charities across the UK. The Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary in April 2024. Its mission is to empower individuals with disabilities or significant disadvantages to reach their full potential, with strategic focus on maximizing impact in the most deprived communities. The Foundation operates with a small staff team overseen by family trustees who receive no remuneration. In April 2025, the Foundation temporarily closed to new applications following an unprecedented surge in demand that saw success rates drop from 18-21% to less than 5%.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Active Lives (UK-wide)

  • Small Grants: Up to £5,000 (organisations with turnover under £500,000 prioritised)
  • Major Grants: £5,001 - £30,000 (organisations with turnover under £5 million prioritised)
  • Annual Budget: Approximately £700,000 per year
  • Focus: Projects fostering participation in life-enhancing opportunities through physical activity and sport for people facing physical, mental, economic, or social disadvantage
  • Application Method: Rolling basis via online portal with quarterly trustee meetings
  • Registration: Requires initial online registration before application

Positive Futures (South East England only)

  • Small Grants: Up to £5,000 (organisations with turnover under £500,000 prioritised)
  • Major Grants: £5,001 - £30,000 (organisations with turnover under £5 million prioritised)
  • Annual Budget: Approximately £350,000 per year
  • Geographic Coverage: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, East Sussex, and West Sussex
  • Focus: Long-term support for care of children and young people with disabilities, special needs, and significant disadvantage
  • Application Method: Rolling basis via online portal with quarterly trustee meetings

Priority Areas

Highest Priority (Active Lives):

  • Work with people living with disabilities in the top 10% most deprived areas (IMD decile 1)
  • Projects from organisations with proven track record working with target populations
  • Initiatives with robust plans for wider impact through dissemination and training
  • Physical activity projects that build personal skills and self-confidence
  • Sport-based opportunities for disadvantaged individuals

High Priority (Both Programmes):

  • Projects in top 40% most deprived areas (IMD deciles 1-4), with decile 1 receiving highest priority
  • Disability-focused projects in any deprivation decile (though deciles 5-10 are lower priority)
  • High-impact, life-enhancing opportunities for individuals with disabilities or significant disadvantage
  • Registered charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) only

What They Don't Fund

Organisational Exclusions:

  • Individuals
  • Community Interest Companies (CICs)
  • Exempt charities

Project Type Exclusions:

  • Retrospective funding
  • Activities primarily the responsibility of central or local government
  • Overseas projects
  • Adventure challenges or expeditions (UK or abroad)
  • Projects solely for the promotion of religion
  • Capital works solely to fulfil building regulations regarding accessibility without strong evidence of existing engagement with target audiences

Geographic/Deprivation Restrictions:

  • Work in IMD deciles 5-10 unless disability-focused (lower priority even if disability-focused)

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

The Foundation is governed by a family Board of Trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits:

Original Trustees (1999):

  • Peter Harrison (Chairman, deceased 2021) - Founder and businessman
  • Joy Harrison (Peter's wife, deceased 2012)
  • Julia Harrison-Lee (daughter of Peter and Joy)
  • Peter Lee (son-in-law of Peter and Joy)

Current Trustees:

  • Nick Harrison (son of Peter and Joy, joined May 2013)
  • Julia Harrison-Lee
  • Peter Lee

The Trustees meet quarterly to consider grant applications and make all funding decisions. They accept applications from local branches of national charities only if they have either a separate legal constitution or endorsement from their national Head Office.

Staff Team

Day-to-day management is overseen by a small staff team who review all initial applications, conduct telephone discussions or virtual meetings with applicants, and make site visits to shortlisted organisations.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Two-Stage Process:

Stage 1: Initial Application

  • Register online via the Foundation's website
  • Complete initial application form through online portal
  • Foundation staff review all submissions
  • May arrange telephone discussion or virtual meeting to learn more about project need and likely impact
  • Applications accepted on rolling basis

Stage 2: Full Application (By Invitation Only)

  • Only a small number of charities invited to this stage due to heavy oversubscription
  • Submit additional detailed information
  • May include site visit to see work in action and meet key stakeholders
  • Trustees review full applications at quarterly meetings

Pre-Application Advice:

  • Use eligibility checker tool on website before applying
  • Review recent grant awards on website to assess fit
  • Read FAQs thoroughly - most questions answered there
  • Ensure project meets all eligibility criteria before applying

Decision Timeline

  • Review Cycle: Trustees meet quarterly to make decisions
  • Notification: Within 4 months of application deadline
  • Total Timeline: Typically 4 months from submission to decision
  • Communication: Written notification of outcome

Success Rates

Historical Rates:

  • 2021/22: 19% success rate
  • 2022/23: 21% success rate (83 grants awarded)
  • 2023/24: 18% success rate (92 grants awarded from 515 applications)
  • Early 2025: Less than 5% success rate (led to closure announcement)

Recent Grant Activity (July 2023 - October 2024):

  • 134 grants awarded
  • Total value: £1,737,839
  • Range: £1,200 - £35,000

The dramatic decrease in success rates reflects unprecedented surge in application volume. The Foundation notes that receiving many more applications than they can support means inevitably disappointing many charities and turning down many good proposals even when they meet criteria.

Reapplication Policy

For Unsuccessful Applicants:

  • May reapply after one year from date of rejection

For Previously Funded Organisations:

  • May not reapply until two years after submission of final grant report

Important: Foundation currently closed to new applications from 2 April 2025 until further notice.

Application Success Factors

Critical Success Criteria (Direct from Foundation)

For Active Lives applications, the Foundation states: “Unless you meet all of the following criteria you are unlikely to be successful”:

  1. Work with people living with disabilities in the top 10% of areas of deprivation (IMD decile 1)
  2. Are from organisations with a track record of working with this population
  3. Have a robust plan for wider impact of the project through dissemination, training, etc.

Key Alignment Factors

Deprivation Focus:

  • The Foundation's strategic priority is “investing most in those that need their investment the most”
  • Projects demonstrating that a large proportion of beneficiaries live in IMD decile 1 areas receive highest priority
  • Must provide evidence of deprivation using Index of Multiple Deprivation data

Organisation Size:

  • Trustees prioritise applications from charities and CASCs with income less than £5 million
  • Small grants specifically target organisations with turnover under £500,000

Track Record:

  • Organisations must demonstrate proven experience working with target populations
  • Evidence of existing engagement with target audiences essential, particularly for capital projects
  • National charity local branches must have separate legal constitution or Head Office endorsement

Impact and Dissemination:

  • Must articulate robust plan for wider impact beyond direct beneficiaries
  • Plans for dissemination of learning and training opportunities valued
  • Focus on life-enhancing, transformational outcomes rather than short-term outputs

Examples of Funded Projects

Include.org (£6,000):

  • Award-winning Redhill-based charity working with people with learning disabilities and/or autism
  • Funding for Stroll and Sign programme with specific emphasis on 18-25 age cohort

Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children:

  • Support for Emergency Equipment Loan service reaching disabled children in crisis in South East
  • National charity providing life-changing or life-saving specialist equipment

ParalympicsGB:

  • 2020 support at Tokyo Games through Paralympic Performance Centre
  • Example of disability sport at elite level

SNAAP (Special Needs Advisory & Activities Project):

  • Support for programmes for children and young people with special needs

Common Reasons for Rejection

According to the Foundation, the main reason for not funding projects is “receiving many more applications than we can support” rather than projects failing to meet criteria. However, implicit rejection factors include:

  • Insufficient focus on IMD decile 1 areas
  • Lack of disability focus in less deprived areas (deciles 5-10)
  • Insufficient track record with target populations
  • Weak plans for wider impact and dissemination
  • Organisation size exceeds preferred thresholds

Application Tips

Before Applying:

  • "Use the eligibility checker to make sure you meet our grants criteria - we don't want you to waste your time applying if you are ineligible"
  • Review details of recent grants on website to assess project fit
  • Read all information about grant programmes and FAQs thoroughly

In Your Application:

  • Use IMD data to clearly demonstrate beneficiary locations in decile 1 areas
  • Provide concrete evidence of track record with target populations
  • Articulate specific, measurable plans for dissemination and wider impact
  • Emphasize life-enhancing, transformational outcomes
  • Focus on building personal skills and self-confidence through physical activity
  • Demonstrate understanding of barriers to participation for target groups

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Deprivation is critical: Projects must serve populations in IMD decile 1 (top 10% most deprived areas) to be competitive for Active Lives programme. This is non-negotiable for disability-focused applications - the Foundation explicitly states you are “unlikely to be successful” without this.
  1. Success rates are extremely low: With recent success rates dropping to less than 5%, only the most highly aligned applications succeed. Even meeting all criteria doesn't guarantee funding due to overwhelming demand.
  1. Track record matters immensely: The Foundation requires proven experience working with target populations. New organisations or those expanding into new populations face significant barriers.
  1. Wider impact distinguishes applications: Robust plans for dissemination, training, and multiplier effects beyond direct beneficiaries are essential differentiators in a highly competitive field.
  1. Organisation size provides advantage: With explicit preference for organisations under £5 million turnover (£500,000 for small grants), smaller organisations have structural advantage.
  1. Use the eligibility checker: The Foundation specifically advises using their online eligibility checker before applying to avoid wasting time on ineligible applications.
  1. Currently closed to applications: The Foundation closed to new applications from April 2025 with no reopening date announced. Monitor their website for updates on when they will accept applications again.
  1. Two-stage process is highly selective: Only a small number of initial applications advance to full application stage, so initial submission must be exceptionally compelling.

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References