Speech, Language and Hearing Foundation

The Speech, Language and Hearing Foundation (SLHF), a UK-registered charity (number 1002463), is dedicated to promoting education and relieving needs of children and young people up to age 18 facing hearing impairments, speech, language, or communication difficulties, including those with autism or complex needs. Established to tackle communication barriers and enable greater inclusion, it achieves this through grants to UK-based charities delivering specialist therapy, educational programmes, support services, research, and technological innovations. Administered by five unremunerated trustees using income solely from rental properties, SLHF emphasises high-impact, specialised interventions like early therapy, intensive support, and multidisciplinary approaches for disadvantaged children, both in the UK and occasionally internationally if mission-aligned.

It prioritises projects offering direct outcomes such as speech and language therapy, specialist education for hearing-impaired or communication-delayed children, autism communication provisions, and pilot innovations in paediatric hearing or comms tech. Funded activities include therapy delivery, educational enhancements, capacity building, and applied research, with occasional core funding for fully aligned charities or rare capital for enabling equipment.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, typically small to medium-sized with incomes of £100,000–£2 million, focusing on UK-based work for these beneficiaries; large nationals or NHS bodies are generally ineligible. Typical grants range £10,000–£30,000 (mostly £15,000–£25,000) for one-year projects. Unsolicited applications are accepted via online form at www.slhfapply.org.uk, with quarterly deadlines (end February, May, August, November); next is 28 February 2026, decisions in 3–4 months. SLHF stands out for its laser-focused remit on childhood communication disorders, rejecting broader health, education, or disability causes, ensuring funds target underprovided specialist services with tangible child benefits.