News and our latest donations > Our 2018 Annual Report: A Summary

September 11, 2019

Our 2018 Annual Report: A Summary

The Harrison Foundation expanded on its commitment to equality of opportunity in 2018 with total donations of close to £500,000.

As well as establishing two new major initiatives, the Foundation continued to champion and support unsung heroes, quietly making a positive impact in their communities.

The Foundation became a founding partner of the Beacon of Light education centre in Sunderland, where the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility learning space is located. The Beacon opened its doors in September 2018 and through the Harrison Centre facility, provides education, training and practical skills to young people on Wearside aged 13 – 19 years old. The Harrison Centre at the Beacon of Light is used by a variety of young people, many of whom have fallen out of mainstream education. With the support of the Harrison Centre, they have the opportunity to get their lives back on track and prepare themselves for the world of work.

The second major project was the national Social Mobility Pledge. Launched in March 2018 and co-founded by the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility, the Pledge is a national initiative that encourages businesses and organisations to commit to partnering with schools, offering apprenticeships and adopting fair recruitment policies.

Hundreds of businesses have signed the Pledge including some of Britain’s best-known high-street brands. By September 2018, one million employees were represented by companies that had signed the Pledge in its first six months.

The Harrison Foundation was pleased to build on previous years’ work supporting less well-known charities making a practical difference to their local communities. They included youth development charity NE Youth and Ouseburn Farm in Newcastle, providing educational and environmental awareness programmes.

Elsewhere, the Denton Youth and Community Project in Newcastle’s west end and the Loftus Community Hub on Teesside each received donations. The funds were used to enable both projects to continue providing youth training and services.

Meanwhile the Foundation made donations to the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the Prince’s Trust and partnered with the Big Issue Magazine, supporting efforts to reduce poverty and create sustainable employment. This will involve a joint research project with the Big Issue and the Harrison Foundation to uncover the systemic barriers affecting predominantly disadvantaged areas and put forward solutions.

The Harrison Foundation’s impact was again felt internationally with support for the Jumby Bay Fund in Antigua. Their work provides vital assistance and help with living space for those less fortunate on the island, particularly disabled children. Their work was particularly pertinent in 2018 with the large influx of Barbudans seeking sanctuary in Antigua, and the corresponding strain this placed on local services, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

The Harrison Foundation was a happy benefactor of new investment from True Potential in the form of dividends. True Potential (www.tpllp.com) is one of the largest financial services groups in the UK and gifted the Foundation a share in their business when it was first established in 2007. As the firm continues to enjoy success, it has begun paying dividends to all shareholders, including The Harrison Foundation.

This new capital gives a tremendous boost as it means the Foundation does not need to rely on public fundraising as much as other charitable peers. It also gratefully receives significant administration, finance and PR support from the True Potential team, meaning the Foundation’s fixed cost base is low.

2018 was a highly successful year. The Harrison Foundation’s impact was felt in local communities throughout the UK and overseas, making a lasting difference to new and established initiatives.

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