The Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation

Charity Number: 326898

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £89,600 (2025)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: 6-8 weeks (applications reviewed March, decisions communicated April)
  • Grant Range: £500 - £7,000
  • Geographic Focus: England, Wales, and Scotland
  • Total Grants Awarded: 50 organizations (2025)

Contact Details

Registered Office:

Russell Cooke Solicitors

2 Putney Hill

London SW15 6AB

Email: julie.collingham@russell-cooke.co.uk

Phone: 020 8394 6488

Website: https://boriskarloffcharitablefoundation.org

Application Email: boris.karloff.foundation@gmail.com

Charity Number: 326898

Overview

Established in 1985, The Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation honors the legacy of the iconic actor Boris Karloff (1887-1969), best known for his sympathetic portrayal of the monster in Frankenstein (1931). The foundation reflects Karloff's personal passions for the performing arts and cricket by awarding grants to registered UK charities in these areas. With an annual giving of approximately £89,600 distributed across 50 organizations in 2025, the foundation prioritizes projects that build skills, increase access, and celebrate community engagement. The foundation holds total income of approximately £100,510 (2024) and operates with no remuneration to trustees, ensuring maximum impact for beneficiaries. The foundation takes a focused approach, supporting both established institutions and smaller community initiatives that serve vulnerable populations including children, young people, underprivileged individuals, and people with disabilities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Single Annual Grant Round

  • Grant Range: £500 - £7,000 (no minimum or maximum specified, but this reflects typical awards)
  • Application Method: Online application form via foundation website
  • Application Deadline: February 28th annually
  • Decision Timeline: Trustees meet in March, outcomes communicated in April
  • Notification: Only successful applicants are contacted after trustee meetings

Priority Areas

Performing Arts (approximately 76% of total funding):

  • Youth and community theatre initiatives for disadvantaged young people, focusing on performance skills and confidence building
  • Professional development opportunities for early-career theatre-makers, directors, and playwrights
  • Accessible performances and inclusive theatre experiences for audiences with additional needs or disabilities
  • Touring productions and community outreach programmes bringing theatre to schools and underserved areas
  • Drama programmes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds
  • Small theatre companies running projects in educational settings
  • Music organizations supporting young musicians and inclusive musical experiences

Cricket (approximately 14% of total funding):

  • Community cricket festivals celebrating cultural heritage and bringing together diverse communities
  • Cricket programmes and infrastructure development to engage young people and expand participation
  • Support for young cricketers through established cricket foundations
  • Equipment such as cricket nets (considered on merit)

Geographic Focus:

Registered charities operating in England, Wales, and Scotland

Organizational Characteristics Valued:

  • Strong community engagement at the local level
  • Organizations serving specific vulnerable populations (children, teenagers, underprivileged individuals, people with disabilities)
  • Both established institutions and smaller community initiatives are supported

What They Don't Fund

  • Non-charitable entities (explicit exclusion - must be registered UK charity)
  • Structural work for cricket club houses (though cricket nets may be considered)
  • Organizations outside England, Wales, and Scotland
  • Projects outside performing arts and cricket focus areas
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Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

The foundation is governed by four trustees who meet annually in March to review applications:

  • Laurence Philip Adams – Trustee (appointed November 2024)
  • Malcolm Russell – Trustee (appointed November 2024)
  • Ian Roger Ford – Trustee (appointed October 2023, also trustee of Walsingham Care)
  • Niamh Comerford – Trustee (appointed October 2023)

Governance Principles:

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity, ensuring all funds support grant-making activities. The foundation has no trading subsidiaries and operates as a straightforward grant-making trust.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Eligibility Check:

  • Applicants MUST be registered UK charities. The foundation explicitly states: “If you are not a UK charity, we cannot consider your application.”
  • Projects must align with performing arts or cricket priorities

Application Method:

Application Deadline:

  • February 28th (annual deadline)
  • Automatic confirmation email sent upon submission

Decision Timeline

Review Process:

  1. Applications submitted by February 28th deadline
  2. Trustees convene in March to review all applications
  3. Decisions communicated in April (typically 6-8 weeks from deadline)

Notification:

  • Only successful applicants are contacted after trustee meetings
  • Unsuccessful applicants should assume their application was not successful if they do not hear back by May

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly disclosed. However, in 2025 the foundation awarded 50 grants from its annual giving budget of £89,600, suggesting a competitive but accessible process for well-aligned projects.

Grant Distribution (2025):

  • 38 theatre and performing arts organizations (76%)
  • 6+ music organizations (13%)
  • 6 cricket organizations (14%)

Reapplication Policy

The foundation does not publicly state restrictions on reapplication. Given the annual cycle and one-meeting-per-year structure, unsuccessful applicants can presumably reapply in subsequent years, though this is not explicitly confirmed.

Application Success Factors

Key Alignment Factors:

  1. Clear Connection to Boris Karloff's Legacy: Applications that understand and reference the foundation's purpose of honoring Boris Karloff's passion for performing arts and cricket demonstrate cultural fit.
  • How projects increase access to performing arts or cricket for underserved communities
  • Specific skill-building outcomes for participants
  • Community celebration or cultural heritage elements
  • Children and teenagers
  • Underprivileged individuals
  • People with disabilities
  • Disadvantaged young people
  1. Scale Appropriate to Funding: With grants typically ranging £500-£7,000, successful projects are focused, deliverable initiatives rather than large-scale capital projects.

Recent Funded Project Examples:

Youth Development:

  • National Youth Theatre - youth theatre initiatives
  • Group 64 Theatre for Young People - community theatre
  • Ballet Lorent - dance for young people
  • Sheriff Hutton Bridge Cricket Club - youth cricket development

Professional Development:

  • RADA Scholarship Fund - training scholarships for drama students from disadvantaged backgrounds
  • Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass Trust - professional development for early-career theatre professionals
  • Royal Scottish National Orchestra - musician development

Inclusive Access:

  • Circus Starr - accessible circus performances for children with disabilities
  • Face Front Theatre - inclusive theatre for learning disabled performers
  • Clowns in the Sky - accessible performances
  • Devon Development Education - Devon Windrush Cricket Festival (celebrating cultural heritage)

Touring and Outreach:

  • Papatango Theatre Company - new writing and touring
  • Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation - bringing theatre to schools
  • Wilton's Music Hall - community outreach

Strategic Approach:

  • Be specific about beneficiary demographics and numbers served
  • Clearly articulate skill-building outcomes
  • Demonstrate how the project increases access for underserved communities
  • Keep project scope manageable and deliverable within the grant range
  • Show community engagement and local impact

Common Characteristics of Successful Applicants:

  • Mix of established institutions (ENO, LAMDA, National Youth Theatre) and smaller community organizations
  • Clear alignment with either performing arts OR cricket (foundation funds both but separately)
  • Strong track record of serving target beneficiaries
  • Projects with tangible, measurable outcomes

Application Tips:

  • Given that only successful applicants are contacted, ensure your application is complete and compelling on first submission
  • The foundation distributes its full annual income, so well-aligned applications have good prospects
  • Smaller organizations should not be deterred - the 2025 grants included many community-level organizations alongside national institutions

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Charity registration is mandatory - Do not apply if you are not a registered UK charity with operations in England, Wales, or Scotland. This is a strict eligibility requirement.
  1. Target grants for specific, deliverable projects - With a typical range of £500-£7,000, frame your application around a focused initiative (e.g., a specific workshop series, touring production, or cricket development programme) rather than general operating costs.
  1. Emphasize access, skills, and community - The foundation's stated priorities are “projects that build skills, increase access, and celebrate community engagement.” Use this language and demonstrate these outcomes explicitly in your application.
  1. Serve vulnerable populations - Applications serving children, young people, disadvantaged individuals, and people with disabilities are prioritized. Be specific about your beneficiary demographics.
  1. Apply by February 28th and be patient - With only one decision round per year, timing is critical. Expect to wait until April for notification, and remember that only successful applicants are contacted.
  1. Study the beneficiary list for inspiration - The 2025 grantees (listed on the foundation website) provide excellent examples of the types of organizations and projects funded. Look for organizations similar to yours to gauge fit.
  1. Don't apply for cricket infrastructure - While cricket nets may be considered, structural work for club houses is explicitly excluded. Focus cricket applications on programmes, festivals, and youth engagement rather than capital projects.

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