Harry & Mary Foundation

The Harry & Mary Foundation, a registered charitable company established in 2012 by trustees Robert Bastow, John Andrew Watson Clough, and Robert Fenwick Walker, is dedicated to enhancing quality of life, economic wellbeing, and social opportunities for individuals in West Yorkshire, with a sharp focus on the City of Bradford and surrounding areas. Rooted in addressing poverty and inequality's root causes, it emphasises collaboration, evidence-led interventions, and responsiveness to community needs, blending immediate relief with long-term strategic investments through partnerships and innovation. Its ethos promotes hope, practical support, and a fairer society, prioritising education for those under 25, health promotion, sickness relief, and poverty alleviation via youth mentoring, mental health services, educational attainment projects, and anti-exclusion initiatives for disadvantaged families and marginalised groups.

Funding targets small to medium-sized UK-registered charities and not-for-profits delivering measurable local impact, particularly grassroots and community-led organisations with annual incomes often below £1 million (though no strict thresholds apply). Projects must directly benefit West Yorkshire residents, especially in Bradford, supporting children, young people, and vulnerable communities through education access, targeted health/wellbeing, and financial hardship relief.

Grants typically range from £10,000 to £50,000 annually (most £15,000–£30,000), including project, core costs, capacity building, and occasional capital or unrestricted funding; larger one-offs like £250,000 occur for strategic efforts. Invite-only: no unsolicited applications or public forms—trustees proactively identify and approach aligned charities via networks. Decisions occur at quarterly trustee meetings with no fixed deadlines. Distinctive for its hyper-local, trust-based grantee relationships, aversion to national/generalist work, and sustained, place-based commitment over broad philanthropy.