Keith Howard Foundation

The Keith Howard Foundation is an independent charitable trust founded in 2008 with a mission to create lasting societal change and positive impact in Yorkshire communities through grants to local charities. Rooted in values of community empowerment, opportunity creation, access, participation, health, and education, it drives funding decisions via collaborative partnerships, professional grantee support, and a philosophy emphasizing long-term improvement, sustainable outcomes, and proactive addressing of local challenges to foster resilient, inclusive communities.

It prioritizes four thematic areas with rich interventions: Arts supporting participation, education, and cultural access through creative schemes, music programmes, dance theatre, and bursaries enabling disadvantaged children and young people to engage in artistic talent progression and underrepresented communities to experience cultural enrichment; Sport promoting grassroots participation, healthy lifestyles, mental health wellbeing via youth sports engagement, outdoor activities, and physical programmes building confidence and resilience for children and young people; Social Mobility targeting barriers removal for disadvantaged groups including children and young people through educational opportunities, youth leadership initiatives, experiential learning at outdoor centres, skills progression, and child health education to enhance employability and life chances; Animal Welfare enabling protection, rescue, rehoming, and care for animals via welfare schemes improving community compassion and ethical treatment. Funded activities emphasize education, access & participation, healthy lives across themes, delivering therapeutic activities, inclusive sports, creative arts, peer engagement, and preventative health interventions for immediate engagement and replicable long-term societal benefits.

Exclusions encompass capital projects, equipment purchases, direct salary funding, and organizations outside Yorkshire, ensuring focus on programme costs and urgent needs fitting priorities. Distinctive for its steadfast Yorkshire community anchoring, family-led governance, and values-led support for arts participation, sports engagement, social mobility advancement, and animal welfare, it prioritizes grassroots charities demonstrating mission alignment, local impact, and sustainable change for children, young people, underrepresented groups, and animal protection in regional contexts valuing partnership and evidence of opportunity creation.