Peter Harrison Foundation – Positive Futures

Objectives of Fund

The Peter Harrison Foundation supports projects working with children, young people and adults who are disadvantaged or with disabilities. It offer small and major grants to charities and community amateur sports clubs in the UK and south east of England under the following two grant programmes:

• Active Lives – opportunities through sport and physical activity. (Covered in a separate scheme)
• Positive Futures – opportunities for children and young people.

Who Can Apply

Applications are accepted from organisations that:

• Are either a registered charity or a registered CASC (Community Amateur Sports Club).
• Have been registered with the charity regulator for two years or more (charity applicants).
• Have been registered as a CASC for two years or more (CASC applicants).
• Have produced independently examined or audited accounts for at least one full year of operation.

Priority will be given to organisations with a turnover of under £5 million.

February 2025 Announcement:

To help the Foundation manage the significant rise in applications it is prioritising applicants whose work most closely aligns to its mission. Unless applicants meet all the following criteria for Positive Futures applications they are unlikely to be successful:

• Work with children and young people living in the top 10% of areas of deprivation (Indices of Multiple Deprivation decile 1) AND
• Are from organisations with a track record of working with this population AND
• Have a robust plan for wider impact of the project through dissemination, training etc.

Restrictions

The Foundation does not support the following:

• Organisations who already have an active grant with PHF.
• Individuals.
• Community interest companies (CICs).
• Exempt charities.
• Requests for retrospective funding.
• Activities that are primarily the responsibility of central or local government.
• Overseas projects.
• Adventure challenges or expeditions in the UK or abroad.
• Projects that are solely for the promotion of religion.
• Capital works solely to fulfil building regulations regarding accessibility, without strong evidence of existing engagement with target audiences.
• Work in IMD deciles 5–10 unless it is disability focused. Disability projects in deciles 5–10 are eligible but a lower priority for funding.

Charities awarded a grant by the Foundation may not reapply until two years after submission of the final grant report.

Charities whose applications are not successful may make another application after one year from the date of the previous rejection.

Eligible Expenditure

All applications to Positive Futures applications must:

• Offer high-impact, life-enhancing opportunities for children and young people who live in the top 40% of areas of deprivation (IMD deciles 1-4).
• Meet the needs of one of the following groups:
  • Disabled, chronically or terminally ill.
  • Facing mental health challenges.
  • At risk of crime, truancy or addiction.
  • At risk of homelessness or who are homeless.
• Incorporate effective strategies for wider impact, perhaps through training, partnerships and/or dissemination activities.
• Demonstrate a high degree of beneficiary involvement across the organisation and those with lived experience.

Work in the top 10% most deprived areas (IMD decile 1) is the highest priority.

To be eligible projects must:

• Meet the needs of children and young people 0–18 years old (or up to 25 years old for projects working with young people with special needs).
• Provide support for children and young people in the following counties: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex.
• Meet the needs of children and young people who are living with disabilities and/or living in the top 40% most deprived areas in the South East (as defined by IMD).