The Harbour Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.
Key takeaways
- The Harbour Foundation makes grants by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application is unlikely to be considered; its Director-Trustees research potential recipients and recommend them to the Council for approval.
- Your work should fit one of its themes (refugee and homelessness relief, education and research, scientific and technical postgraduate training, poverty alleviation, or social and cultural change), and it must further the foundation's objects and deliver public benefit, since applications are reviewed case by case against applicant status, organisational structure and the purpose of the grant.
- The annual report shows typical grants between £11,500 and £330,000, with a median of £25,000, so a request in the middle of that range is a realistic starting point, though the band is typical rather than a limit.
- Given the invitation-only process, approaching the foundation is likely to depend on relationships rather than an open round.
- Organisations that cannot show they further its objects or deliver public benefit should not apply.
Overview
The Harbour Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 264927).
The Harbour Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales that exists to relieve poverty, suffering and distress among refugees and other homeless people, to advance education, learning and research, and to make donations to institutions established for charitable purposes under the law of England and Wales. It made 44 grants totalling £766,000 in the year reported, with no minimum level of grant. One of its programmes is a post-graduate assistance programme that supports financially restricted students on science and medical degrees at two Israeli universities.
What they fund
Profile based on the charity's Charity Commission register entry and annual report (year to 31 May 2025) only: no website or other web source for the charity was found. Every statement is checked against them. Sources read on 30 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation makes grants to charitable organisations and institutions, while its objects also include relief for refugees, homeless and displaced people, and education, learning and research. It maintains an emphasis on scientific and technical postgraduate training, and supports financially restricted postgraduate students studying science- and medical-related degrees at two Israeli universities. It also makes funds available to organisations involved in poverty alleviation and positive social and cultural change. Organisational recipients must further its objects and deliver public benefit; their applications are reviewed case by case in light of applicant status, organisational structure and the requested grant purpose.
Themes
- Refugee and homelessness relief
- Education and research
- Scientific and technical postgraduate training
- Poverty alleviation
- Social and cultural change
Geographic Focus
Throughout The World.
How to apply
One or more Director-Trustees research appropriate institutions or individuals as potential grant recipients, then make recommendations to the Council for formal approval.
Who can apply:
- All recipient organisations must further the Charity’s objects and deliver a public benefit
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Organisational recipients must further the Charity’s objects and deliver a public benefit.
- The foundation reviews organisations case by case, considering applicant status, organisational structure and the requested purpose of the grant.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- International
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to The Harbour Foundation.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 7 grants in year to 31 May 2025 by size
Median £25,000 (year to 31 May 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Ben Gurion University Foundation · Education£330,000year to 31 May 2025
- British Friends Hebrew University · Education£240,000year to 31 May 2025
- ALLMEP (New Israel Fund) · Social Organisations£50,000year to 31 May 2025
- Shoreditch Trust Donation · Social Organisations£25,000year to 31 May 2025
- World Jewish Relief (Central British Fund for) · Relief Organisations£18,000year to 31 May 2025
- Royal College Music · Art£15,000year to 31 May 2025
- Eastside Education · Art£11,500year to 31 May 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 6 lines covering other, unnamed recipients (£76,500).
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 May 2021 | £74,464 | £1,119,294 | — | Accounts for year to 31 May 2021 |
| year to 31 May 2022 | £1,132,765 | £1,036,501 | £690,000 | Accounts for year to 31 May 2022 |
| year to 31 May 2023 | £1,076,495 | £879,616 | — | Accounts for year to 31 May 2023 |
| year to 31 May 2024 | £1,191,867 | £1,157,221 | — | Accounts for year to 31 May 2024 |
| year to 31 May 2025 | £1,263,741 | £1,354,146 | £766,000 | Accounts for year to 31 May 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 May 2022: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 May 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
- Annual report (year to 31 May 2025)
This profile rests on the charity’s filed accounts and register entry only, so check with the funder directly before applying.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to The Harbour Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
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Contact
- Charity Commission register entryContact details as held by the Charity Commission
Applying to The Harbour Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Charity Commission register entryContact details as held by the Charity Commission