Charles Hayward Foundation: Main Grants

Charles Hayward Foundation: Main Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Charles Hayward Foundation
Amount: Up to £15,000
Last Updated: April 03, 2026

Summary

The Charles Hayward Foundation offers main grants for charities with an income over £350,000 in Social & Criminal Justice and Heritage & Conservation. They fund innovative projects addressing prevention of criminal justice involvement and rehabilitation for offenders, alongside significant heritage projects. Grants range from £15,000 to £50,000 over 1 to 3 years, supporting long-term strategies for community benefit and historical preservation, with an emphasis on monitoring and future planning.

Overview

Our main grant programme currently make grants in the following categories for charities with an income of more than £350,000: Social & Criminal Justice Heritage & Conservation Social and Criminal Justice The overall aims of our funding in the social and criminal justice area are to prevent people entering the criminal justice system and to support those already in the system to move on and rebuild their lives. We fund early intervention programmes with young children and their families, tailored preventative work with young people at risk, and holistic support services aimed at reducing re-offending and aiding re-settlement. The Foundation also looks to alleviate the consequences of domestic abuse and criminal exploitation of vulnerable persons. Our main focus in this category is on protecting, restoring and interpreting past inventions, discoveries, industrial sites and defining moments that have shaped our history and identity, and displaying them in a modern context for public engagement, use and learning. We fund projects in the following sub-categories: Targeted early intervention programmes aimed at reaching the most troubled and vulnerable families in a communityPreventative and diversionary projects for young people at risk of offending including tailored interventions identifying and addressing the particular needs of girls and young womenProgrammes, particularly those with a focus on young offenders, combining prison based and community interventions dealing with rehabilitation of offenders, accommodation and support on release, helping with maintaining family relationships, mentoring, and mapping and creating pathways to employment Schemes offering viable alternatives to custody, in particular for women and young peopleProgrammes of support directed towards rehabilitating the victims of domestic abuse and criminal exploitation The Foundation is open to creative and specialist approaches and trialling new solutions. Programmes should be of appropriate duration and intensity, have a clear rationale and be properly monitored and evaluated. There should be a plan for the future, including an ‘exit strategy’ The trustees will fund projects over 1 to 3 years with grants of £15,000 – £25,000 per annum. They may invest up to £25,000 in a pilot project, if it addresses complex problems in an innovative way and may lead to replication if proven effective. Heritage and Conservation In this category trustees wish to make larger grants to projects of a unique nature and of national importance. We fund projects in the following sub-categories: Purchase of land or reclamation of recently purchased land to be used for nature reserves where these will be maintained in perpetuity  Conservation and preservation of pictures, manuscripts, books and objects for public display, use & interest Development of libraries, museums and galleries Adaptation of former Industrial Heritage sites to creative and educational spaces The trustees will fund a select number of one off projects with grants of £25,000 - £50,000.

Eligibility

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