Harry & Mary Foundation

The Foundation funds work in education for people under 25, health promotion, sickness relief, and poverty alleviation. Priority initiatives include youth mentoring, mental health services, educational attainment projects, and anti-exclusion programmes for disadvantaged families and marginalised groups. It supports a variety of costs, including both project delivery and core organisational running costs, as well as capacity building. All funded activity must directly benefit residents of West Yorkshire, with a sharp focus on the City of Bradford and surrounding areas.

Funding is open to UK-registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations, particularly those that are small to medium-sized, grassroots, and community-led. The Foundation prioritises groups working with children, young people, and vulnerable communities. While there are no strict income thresholds, funded organisations typically have relatively modest annual incomes. Projects must be rooted in West Yorkshire, especially Bradford. The Foundation looks for charities delivering measurable local impact and places strong emphasis on collaboration and evidence-led approaches. There is no religious restriction.

The Foundation does not fund national or generalist initiatives, preferring to concentrate resources on hyper-local projects within West Yorkshire. It also avoids supporting work that is not directly tied to the region, particularly the Bradford area.

The Foundation operates on an invite-only basis and does not accept unsolicited applications. It builds trust-based, sustained relationships with grantees, offering a mix of project funding, core costs, capacity building, and occasionally capital or unrestricted support. This reflects a long-term place-based commitment.