Haberdashers' Elstree Schools Foundation

Registered charity 1107027 · since 2004habselstree.org.uk/boys/contact·United Kingdom·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£516k

Annual giving, year to 31 August 2025

From filed accounts

Key takeaways

The Foundation's work is centred on the Habs schools and their pupils and families, so a small outside charity should check carefully whether its work connects to them before applying.
Its stated priorities are bursaries, school emergencies, family hardship, campus improvements and student opportunities, so any request should fit one of these.
No grant range is stated, so it is unclear what size of request is realistic, and the annual report is the place to look for more.
No application process is published, so the sensible first step is to use the contact shown to ask whether a request is welcome and how to make one.
Timing and how competitive funding is are not stated, so ask about both when you make contact.

Overview

Haberdashers' Elstree Schools Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1107027).

The Haberdashers' Elstree Schools Foundation exists to remove financial barriers to an outstanding Habs education and to ensure the schools have the resources they need. It traces its roots to the philanthropy of the school's founder, who left a generous gift in his will to set up the first Haberdashers' school. Bursaries are its leading philanthropic priority, and more than 150 students at Habs Boys and Habs Girls receive bursary support each year. Its philanthropic priorities also include the Greatest Need Fund, the Hardship Fund, the Student Opportunities Fund and the Campus Improvements Fund. Its annual giving is £515,739.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Foundation exists to remove financial barriers to an outstanding Habs education and ensure the schools have the resources they need. Bursaries are its leading philanthropic priority: it provides means-tested support for families whose children meet the entrance criteria but could not afford to attend. It also directs support to the schools’ immediate needs and emergencies, hardship affecting Habs families, building projects and renovations, and co-curricular activities, prizes, awards, trips and other initiatives intended to improve students’ experience. Its annual report also describes a partnership programme delivering enrichment and co-curricular sessions. Its stated work is centred on the schools and their pupils and families.

Themes

School bursaries
School emergency response
Family hardship
Campus improvements
Student opportunities
Educational partnerships

Geographic Focus

United Kingdom.

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or other pages about it. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

United Kingdom

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Haberdashers' Elstree Schools Foundation.

The Sue Thomson FoundationNo public processGave £115k The Black Heart FoundationInvitation onlyGave £342k The Rory and Elizabeth Brooks FoundationInvitation onlyGave £638k The Hearn FoundationNo public processGave £2.2M The Finborough FoundationNo public processGave £160k The Wolfson FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £37.3M Hymans Robertson FoundationMixed deadlinesGave £260k The London Women's Clinic FoundationNo public processGave £177k The Persimmon Charitable FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £465k The John Terry FoundationInvitation only

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 August 2021	£1,027,306	£429,838	£188,880	Accounts for year to 31 August 2021
year to 31 August 2022	£1,381,633	£647,496	£205,571	Accounts for year to 31 August 2022
year to 31 August 2023	£925,404	£687,032	£483,413	Accounts for year to 31 August 2023
year to 31 August 2024	£1,766,804	£627,363	£385,831	Accounts for year to 31 August 2024
year to 31 August 2025	£1,190,012	£724,584	£515,739	Accounts for year to 31 August 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£189k grants

YE 2022

£206k grants

YE 2023

£483k grants

YE 2024

£386k grants

YE 2025

£516k grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 August 2021; year to 31 August 2022; year to 31 August 2023; year to 31 August 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 August 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

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.