The Keswick Foundation

Registered charity 278449 · since 1979keswickfoundation.org.hk·China, Hong Kong S.A.R.·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

HKD 29.6M

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2024

From filed accounts

HKD 160k to HKD 1.6M

Grant range

From the annual report's grant list

HKD 557k

Typical grant (median)

42 published grants

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Keswick Foundation gives priority to Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, and it favours under-funded, pilot or new services in social-service and education capacity building, children, youth and family, older people, people with special needs, vulnerable groups and responses to crisis events.
Most of its grants, about 8 in 10 of the 42 to organisations, fall between HK$160,000 and HK$1,550,000, with a median of about HK$545,000, so a request in that range is typical; its largest grant was about HK$3,000,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
Applications are rolling, and the annual report shows annual giving of HK$29,577,217, but the available information does not say how competitive the process is.
Before applying, call the Foundation's staff, then send a 2 to 3 page project concept note and a budget plan by email, using its form, and note that projects are generally funded for up to three years.

Overview

The Keswick Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 278449).

The Keswick Foundation is a charitable organisation established by its founder and his daughter, who wanted to give something back to Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong. It exists to facilitate long-term and impactful service development and capacity building that address social needs in those places. Its funding focuses on capacity building for social service and education, children, youth and family, elderly, special needs and vulnerable groups, and response to crisis events.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Keswick Foundation supports charitable organisations that address social needs in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland. It seeks to facilitate long-term service development and capacity building, and funds pilot projects that offer innovative, holistic and practical responses to gaps in community services. It gives priority to under-funded services, pilot or new services, and work in social-service and education capacity building, children, youth and family, older people, people with special needs and vulnerable groups, and responses to crisis events. Projects are generally funded for up to three years. Grants may meet recurrent or programme costs and, exceptionally, capital costs.

Themes

Capacity Building
Children, Youth and Family
Elderly and Special Needs
Vulnerable Groups
Crisis Response

Geographic Focus

Priority: Hong Kong; Chinese Mainland.

How to apply

Applicants should first call the Foundation’s staff. They then use its form to prepare a two-to-three-page project concept note and budget plan, and send the completed documents by email.

What to send:

A 2 – 3 page project concept note
A budget plan

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The Foundation gives priority to under-funded services, pilot projects and new services.
It seeks innovative, holistic and practical solutions that address service gaps in the community.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

China
Hong Kong S.A.R.

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Keswick Foundation.

John Pearce FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £840k International China ConcernNo public processGave £230k The AVM Charitable FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £327k

Grants

42 published grants analysed · median HKD 557k

How much do they typically give?

Share of 42 grants in year to 31 December 2024 by size

HKD 10k–HKD 25k2%

HKD 25k–HKD 50k0%

HKD 50k–HKD 100k0%

HKD 100k–HKD 250k26%

HKD 250k–HKD 500k17%

HKD 500k–HKD 1M31%

HKD 1M and over24%

Median HKD 557k (year to 31 December 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:

Caritas Hong Kong · Our Common Home
HKD 2,980,944year to 31 December 2024
Hong Kong Social Workers Association
HKD 2,167,405year to 31 December 2024
Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service, Hong Kong
HKD 1,918,792year to 31 December 2024
China Social Work Academy · Social Work Station Building
HKD 1,851,724year to 31 December 2024
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · RS (The 3A Blueprint for Community Rehabilitation)
HKD 1,535,365year to 31 December 2024
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · SLLO (Capacity Building Scheme for Secondary School Teachers)
HKD 1,133,014year to 31 December 2024
Just Feel Limited
HKD 1,131,466year to 31 December 2024
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · APPS (Building for DSW Educators in Mainland China)
HKD 1,054,538year to 31 December 2024

Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 2 with no named recipient.

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2020	£3,281,026	£2,570,657	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2020
year to 31 December 2021	£3,283,990	£2,259,640	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£4,632,502	£3,485,322	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£4,934,012	£3,030,714	£2,475,988	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£5,148,741	£3,588,301	HKD 29,577,217	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024

Year to 31 December 2024 not shown: grants paid were reported in HKD and income in pounds.

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

— 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.