Swire Chinese Language Foundation

The Swire Chinese Language Foundation, established in 2016 by the Swire Group, drives the improvement of Chinese language teaching quality, quantity, and reach across UK primary and secondary schools, closely tied to the Swire Chinese Language Centre London under the Harris Federation. Its mission emphasizes broadening educational horizons, fostering cultural understanding amid UK-China relations, and promoting inclusivity by making Mandarin accessible to all children, especially disadvantaged ones (25% of its 22,000+ supported pupils). Core values of educational equity, innovation, and sustainability underpin its distinctive approach: integrating language curricula with cultural immersion, teacher development via micro-fluency and sentence mining methods, student trips to China, educator conferences, and collaborative school networks for long-term impact.

It funds Mandarin programme integration in schools, professional teacher training, cultural activities, events, and capacity-building for Chinese provision, prioritizing direct pupil access, disadvantaged outreach, and innovative pedagogies that enhance engagement and equity.

Eligible applicants are exclusively pre-selected academic institutions—large educational trusts (e.g., Harris Federation), multi-academy sponsors, or school groups—in specific UK cities: London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Norwich, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, Oxford, and Sheffield. No support for small charities, grassroots groups, or individuals.

As an invite-only funder, it offers no unsolicited applications, public deadlines, or open rounds; partnerships are strategically initiated. Grants cover project/programme costs (teaching, development, activities), often exceeding £100,000 annually per centre/region in multi-year commitments, excluding standalone capital or unrestricted funding. Its uniqueness lies in Swire Group's philanthropic alignment, proven scale (hundreds pursuing university Chinese studies), and focus on transformative, barrier-breaking education.