I am delighted to share with you our new strategy, Elevate your impact, which will guide our work over the next five years.
For nearly 400 years we’ve backed people and organisations working to tackle poverty and create a more just society. This strategy builds on that legacy, but also recognises the urgent need to go further in the face of rising inequality, economic pressure, and systems that too often fall short.
We have made a small change to our name from The Henry Smith Charity to the Henry Smith Foundation – this provides greater clarity about our role as an independent charitable foundation.
We’ve listened closely to grant holders, partners and people with experience of the issues we are funding. Their insight shaped a strategy that sharpens our focus, deepens our partnerships, and reaffirms our commitment to backing those driving change in communities across the UK.
Over the next five years, we will focus our funding on support through some of life’s toughest transitions – moments when the right support can unlock opportunity and lead to lasting change.
Our three funding priority areas are:
Getting started – supporting families to give their young children a strong start
Building independence – helping young people move into adulthood with confidence, skills and hope
Safer futures – supporting people to rebuild their lives after abuse, displacement or prison.
These transitions don’t just change individual lives. They shape families, communities and the systems around them.
But this strategy is about more than our funding priorities. It reflects a broader shift in how we work. We are strengthening our commitment to building partnerships with the organisations we fund, offering flexible, long-term funding and making our application processes simpler and more accessible. By investing in the people and organisations driving change, we believe we can deepen our impact and contribute to lasting progress.
We also know that funding alone isn’t enough. That’s why we’re investing in work that challenges and improves the systems that shape people’s lives, using the insights of our partners and people with direct experience to support collaboration and influence policy. We’re also developing a wider support offer to include peer learning, organisational support, and opportunities for colleagues to connect, share insight and learn together.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our strategy. This means looking at who and how we fund. We’re removing barriers in our processes, making our funding more accessible, and ensuring that people with direct experience help shape our decisions.
Finally, we’re also introducing a new Opportunity Fund to support early-stage ideas, test bold approaches, strengthen leadership and boost inclusion across the sector. We’re starting with a proactive invitation-led approach, backing organisations to take strategic risks and share learning that can drive wider change.
The first three new programmes within our new funding priorities are:
Together We Begin Getting Started
Together We Begin funds in-home, face-to-face support for families with young children. We will fund organisations that strengthen parenting, build parental confidence, and improve early child development; helping families feel connected, supported, and better able to navigate local services and opportunities.
Shout! Building Independence
Shout! helps young people be heard when the world doesn’t listen. We will support advocacy services helping care-experienced, LGBT+, neurodivergent or learning-disabled young people speak up, make informed choices, and secure their rights.
Domestic Abuse Fund Safer Futures
The Domestic Abuse Fund backs ‘led by and for’ organisations providing specialist domestic abuse services. We will fund deep, consistent, person-centred services designed around the needs of people from marginalised communities who’ve experienced domestic abuse.
Want to know more about our new funding programmes? Sign up for our newsletter to hear when they open for applications, and for further funding updates.
We’ll also be hosting webinars to talk more about these programmes. Dates and sign up information are below.
Shout! webinar: 22nd July, from 1-2pm
Together We Begin webinar: 30th July from 2-3pm
Domestic Abuse Fund webinar: 12th August, from 1-2pm
