The Blue Thread - Revision history

David at 11:43, 8 November 2026

2026-11-08T11:43:09Z

Jewish-media research: New page: The Blue Thread (sourced profile)

2026-11-08T11:39:09Z

New page: The Blue Thread (sourced profile)

New page

{{short description|'''Grabiner family grant-making charity in London (registered charity 1130704)'''}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = The Blue Thread
| logo =
| type = Unincorporated charitable trust (grant-making family foundation)
| founded = {{Start date|2009|06|22}}
| founder = Grabiner family
| registration_id = 1130704 ([[Charity Commission for England and Wales]])
| status = Registered (since 23 July 2009)
| headquarters = 17 Portland Place, London W1B 1PU
| location = London
| area_served = United Kingdom and Israel
| services = Grants to small organisations working with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, women experiencing abuse, and Jewish community organisations in the UK and Israel
| registration = England and Wales
| key_people = [[Stephen Grabiner]] (chair of trustees); [[Hannah Hoare (The Blue Thread)|Hannah Hoare]] (executive director)
| website = [https://www.thebluethread.org.uk/ thebluethread.org.uk]
}}
'''The Blue Thread''' is a London-based grant-making charity, registered with the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales]] as charity number 1130704, which describes itself as "the Grabiner family foundation".<ref name="BTWebsite">The Blue Thread, [https://www.thebluethread.org.uk/ The Blue Thread – London Based Family Foundation] (official website), accessed 8 November 2026.</ref><ref name="CCBlueThread">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/charity-overview The Blue Thread – 1130704: Charity overview], [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/governance governance], [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/governing-document governing document] and [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/financial-history financial history] (register), accessed 8 November 2026.</ref> It was set up under a trust deed dated 22 June 2009 and registered on 23 July 2009. It is chaired by the media executive and investor [[Stephen Grabiner]], and all seven of its trustees bear the Grabiner or Grabiner-Wolfson surname.<ref name="BTAccounts2025">The Blue Thread, ''Annual Report and Financial Statements'' for the year ended 5 April 2025, filed with the Charity Commission 21 January 2026, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/accounts-and-annual-returns accounts and annual returns page], accessed 8 November 2026.</ref><ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/trustees The Blue Thread – 1130704: Trustees] (register), accessed 8 November 2026.</ref>

Its website says the foundation "was established with resources gained over the last 30 years through work in the media and private equity industries".<ref name="BTWebsite" /> Its accounts say it is "principally being funded by members of the Grabiner family".<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> Its annual grant-making rose from £379,821 in 2020–21 to £4.65 million in 2022–23, and stood at £3.34 million in 2024–25, mostly for refugee work. Part of this was funded through a partnership with another foundation, This Day.<ref name="BTAccounts2021" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

== Aims and grant-making ==
The governing document's objects are "for any purposes which are charitable in the law of England and Wales for the benefit of the public".<ref name="CCBlueThread" /> The 2025 trustees' report says the charity "predominantly makes grants to small organisations and grassroots groups doing frontline work". It focuses on UK organisations working with "migrants, refugees and asylum seekers" and "women experiencing disadvantage and abuse", and says, "We also support organisations in the Jewish Community in the UK and in Israel." It favours organisations with annual income below £1 million, and its grants are usually unrestricted.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> The register states that the charity "does not accept unsolicited applications for support".<ref name="CCBlueThread" />

On its work in Israel, the 2025 report says: "Most of our funding in Israel supports human rights organisations and those working towards peace and shared society." It adds that the charity also supports organisations helping refugees and asylum seekers there.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> The report lists the political environment for its grantees as a risk: "organisations supporting refugees, vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers both in the UK and in Israel, where the global context of rising far/right politics is particularly challenging", and "organisations in Israel defending human rights, democracy and shared society". It says the charity mitigates this "by funding 'quietly,' with a view to minimizing the publicity for the Foundation".<ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

The website explains the name by reference to the blue thread in the tassels described in the Hebrew Bible. It says the foundation's "approach to philanthropy is based on the Jewish obligation to pursue justice by acting ethically in one's personal and professional life".<ref name="BTWebsite" />

The charity does not publish the names of its grant recipients. Each set of accounts states that it "has taken the statutory exemption under Charity law from disclosing the names of grant recipients during the lifetime of the settlor of the Trust". It reports grants only by category.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> In 2024–25 it made 232 grants to 202 grantees.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> The 2025 accounts disclose one recipient as a related party: grants of £9,720 to [[Our Second Home]], "where the Trustees are also Trustees of The Blue Thread".<ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

== Trustees and staff ==
The Charity Commission register lists seven trustees, but records appointment dates for only four of them.<ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /> The 2021 accounts list five trustees (Stephen, Miriam, Daniel and Sarah Grabiner, and Joseph Grabiner), and the 2022 accounts record Amy Grabiner and Emily Grabiner-Wolfson as appointed on 28 March 2022.<ref name="BTAccounts2021">The Blue Thread, ''Annual Report and Financial Statements'' for the year ended 5 April 2021, filed with the Charity Commission 22 December 2021, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/accounts-and-annual-returns accounts and annual returns page], accessed 8 November 2026.</ref><ref name="BTAccounts2022">The Blue Thread, ''Annual Report and Financial Statements'' for the year ended 5 April 2022, filed with the Charity Commission 26 January 2023, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/accounts-and-annual-returns accounts and annual returns page], accessed 8 November 2026.</ref> The 2022 and later accounts name Stephen Grabiner as chair.<ref name="BTAccounts2022" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> The 2025 report was signed for the board by Daniel Grabiner.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Trustees of The Blue Thread (Charity Commission register and annual reports, read 8 November 2026)
! Trustee !! Role !! Appointed !! Source notes
|-
| [[Stephen Grabiner]] || Trustee; chair || Not stated on register || Chair in the 2022–2025 accounts<ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" />
|-
| [[Miriam Grabiner (trustee, The Blue Thread)|Miriam Grabiner]] || Trustee || Not stated on register || Listed in the 2021–2025 accounts<ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /><ref name="BTAccounts2021" />
|-
| [[Sarah Grabiner (trustee, The Blue Thread)|Sarah Grabiner]] || Trustee || Not stated on register || Listed in the 2021–2025 accounts<ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /><ref name="BTAccounts2021" />
|-
| [[Daniel Grabiner (trustee, The Blue Thread)|Daniel Grabiner]] || Trustee || 16 April 2012 || Signed the 2025 report<ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" />
|-
| [[Joseph Grabiner-Wolfson]] || Trustee || 16 April 2012 || Listed as "Joseph Grabiner" in the 2021 accounts<ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /><ref name="BTAccounts2021" />
|-
| [[Amy Grabiner (trustee, The Blue Thread)|Amy Grabiner]] || Trustee || 28 March 2022 || <ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /><ref name="BTAccounts2022" />
|-
| [[Emily Rose Grabiner-Wolfson]] || Trustee || 28 March 2022 || <ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees" /><ref name="BTAccounts2022" />
|}

The website says [[Hannah Hoare (The Blue Thread)|Hannah Hoare]] joined as executive director in early 2020.<ref name="BTWebsite" /> The 2022 accounts list Lucie Graham as acting executive director from October 2022 to October 2023, while Hoare was on leave.<ref name="BTAccounts2022" /> The 2025 accounts list Hoare as executive director and Karen Lam as senior associate until October 2025.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> The 2025 report gives the principal office as 17 Portland Place, London W1B 1PU, the auditors as [[Buzzacott Audit LLP]] and the bankers as [[Royal Bank of Scotland]].<ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

== Funding and related parties ==
The trustees' own gifts are reported each year as related-party transactions. The accounts also record that [[Grabiner Management Company Ltd]], "a company whose directors are also Trustees of the charity", recharged the charity's payroll costs: £91,606 in 2020–21, £187,926 in 2023–24 and £173,629 in 2024–25.<ref name="BTAccounts2021" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> Companies House records Stephen Grabiner as a director of Grabiner Management Company Ltd (03162888) since 20 February 1998.<ref name="CHSG">Companies House, [https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/BJBOO5yI7uC8Bdp3SedfOSjn8eA/appointments Stephen GRABINER personal appointments], accessed 8 November 2026.</ref> The 2024–25 report states that on 5 September 2025, after the financial year ended on 5 April 2025, the trustees donated shares valued at £2.63 million "to bring the Charity’s unrestricted reserves back into surplus"; the gift is not part of the 2024–25 income figures.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> In 2020–21, 250,000 quoted shares "were gifted to the charity by a Trustee and by the [[Stephen Grabiner Children's Trust]], whose beneficiaries are also Trustees of the charity", and were sold for £533,790.<ref name="BTAccounts2021" /> In 2024–25 the charity borrowed £100,000 interest-free from a trustee between 5 August and 25 September 2024. On 5 September 2025, after the year end, trustees donated shares worth £2.63 million to restore unrestricted reserves to surplus.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Donations by trustees to The Blue Thread (annual accounts, related-party notes)
! Year ended 5 April !! Donated by trustees
|-
| 2020 || £160,000<ref name="BTAccounts2021" />
|-
| 2021 || £308,103<ref name="BTAccounts2021" />
|-
| 2022 || £1,321,000<ref name="BTAccounts2022" />
|-
| 2023 || £790,000<ref name="BTAccounts2023">The Blue Thread, ''Annual Report and Financial Statements'' for the year ended 5 April 2023, filed with the Charity Commission 1 February 2024, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/accounts-and-annual-returns accounts and annual returns page], accessed 8 November 2026.</ref>
|-
| 2024 || £927,600<ref name="BTAccounts2024">The Blue Thread, ''Annual Report and Financial Statements'' for the year ended 5 April 2024, filed with the Charity Commission 17 January 2025, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/accounts-and-annual-returns accounts and annual returns page], accessed 8 November 2026.</ref>
|-
| 2025 || £857,500<ref name="BTAccounts2025" />
|}

=== Partnership with This Day ===
The 2023 report says that "In March 2022, The Blue Thread began working with This Day, a new charitable foundation", from which it received restricted income "to grant to the migration sector". It says The Blue Thread also helped the new foundation "develop its grantmaking approach, strategy and relationships".<ref name="BTAccounts2023" /> Restricted income was £4,036,000 in 2021–22, £2,102,200 in 2022–23 and £3,000,000 in 2023–24.<ref name="BTAccounts2022" /><ref name="BTAccounts2023" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> The 2024 accounts say that This Day had decided to review its strategy, so its donation for 2024–25 would be "revised downwards".<ref name="BTAccounts2024" /> The 2025 trustees' report records £60,000 of restricted income from "our partner foundation to be disbursed to migration-focused organisations". The 2025 statement of funds, however, books £60,000 to a "Family courts fund", described as pooled funding from a group of funders. After the year end, in July 2025, the charity was notified of £2.18 million from This Day covering July 2025 to December 2027.<ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

== Finances ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Income, spending and funds of The Blue Thread (Charity Commission register and accounts; years ending 5 April)
! !! 2021 !! 2022 !! 2023 !! 2024 !! 2025
|-
| Total income || £917,315 || £5,491,431 || £2,940,789 || £4,015,544 || £953,885
|-
| of which donations || £917,250 || £5,484,217 || £2,890,000 || £3,927,600 || £917,500
|-
| Total expenditure || £474,170 || £846,590 || £4,890,000 || £3,244,383 || £3,605,959
|-
| Grants made || £379,821 || £743,928 || £4,654,512 || £3,038,738 || £3,337,059
|-
| Total funds at year end || £707,389 || £5,352,229 || £3,361,342 || £4,150,250 || £1,400,779
|}
Sources: the register's financial history,<ref name="CCBlueThread" /> with exact figures from the accounts where they are given.<ref name="BTAccounts2021" /><ref name="BTAccounts2022" /><ref name="BTAccounts2023" /><ref name="BTAccounts2024" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> Figures that the register gives only in rounded form (2021 and 2022 expenditure, and 2023 donations and expenditure) are shown as rounded.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Grants by category (annual accounts; years ending 5 April)
! Category !! 2020 !! 2021 !! 2022 !! 2023 !! 2024 !! 2025
|-
| Refugees || £22,250 || £82,951 || £271,750 || £2,689,780 || £2,540,663 || £2,511,053
|-
| Women || £5,600 || £77,500 || £151,538 || £410,325 || £219,500 || £254,500
|-
| Welfare || – || £29,765 || £35,000 || £222,176 || £176,360 || £371,000
|-
| Community || £153,676 || £62,034 || £152,237 || £352,939 || £55,870 || £133,300
|-
| Peace and dialogue || £21,768 || £32,600 || £40,000 || £17,000 || £21,545 || £67,206
|-
| Education || £24,787 || £65,565 || £60,927 || £287,923 || £18,500 || –
|-
| Miscellaneous || £880 || £16,798 || £32,476 || £674,369 || £6,300 || –
|-
| Healthcare || £51,230 || £12,608 || – || – || – || –
|-
| Environment || £3,000 || – || – || – || – || –
|-
| Covid || £23,750 || – || – || – || – || –
|-
| '''Total''' || '''£306,941''' || '''£379,821''' || '''£743,928''' || '''£4,654,512''' || '''£3,038,738''' || '''£3,337,059'''
|}
The 2022 accounts restate the 2021 figures without a healthcare line, giving "Miscellaneous" as £29,406. This equals the £16,798 miscellaneous plus £12,608 healthcare shown in the 2021 accounts.<ref name="BTAccounts2021" /><ref name="BTAccounts2022" /><ref name="BTAccounts2023" /><ref name="BTAccounts2024" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" />

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Charities in England and Wales]]
[[Category:British charities]]
[[Category:Foundations]]

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 '''The Blue Thread''' is a London-based grant-making charity, registered with the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales]] as charity number 1130704, which describes itself as "the Grabiner family foundation".<ref name="BTWebsite">The Blue Thread, [https://www.thebluethread.org.uk/ The Blue Thread – London Based Family Foundation] (official website), accessed 8 November 2026.</ref><ref name="CCBlueThread">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/charity-overview The Blue Thread – 1130704: Charity overview], [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/governance governance], [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/governing-document governing document] and [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/financial-history financial history] (register), accessed 8 November 2026.</ref> It was set up under a trust deed dated 22 June 2009 and registered on 23 July 2009. It is chaired by the media executive and investor [[Stephen Grabiner]], and all seven of its trustees bear the Grabiner or Grabiner-Wolfson surname.<ref name="BTAccounts2025">The Blue Thread, ''Annual Report and Financial Statements'' for the year ended 5 April 2025, filed with the Charity Commission 21 January 2026, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/accounts-and-annual-returns accounts and annual returns page], accessed 8 November 2026.</ref><ref name="CCBlueThreadTrustees">Charity Commission for England and Wales, [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4045489/trustees The Blue Thread – 1130704: Trustees] (register), accessed 8 November 2026.</ref>
-Its website says the foundation "was established with resources gained over the last 30 years through work in the media and private equity industries".<ref name="BTWebsite" /> Its accounts say it is "principally being funded by members of the Grabiner family".<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> Its annual grant-making rose from £379,821 in 2020–21 to £4.65 million in 2022–23, and stood at £3.34 million in 2024–25, mostly for refugee work. Part of this was funded through a partnership with another foundation, This Day.<ref name="BTAccounts2021" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" />
+Its website says the foundation "was established with resources gained over the last 30 years through work in the media and private equity industries".<ref name="BTWebsite" /> Its accounts say it is "principally being funded by members of the Grabiner family".<ref name="BTAccounts2025" /> Its annual grant-making rose from £379,821 in 2020–21 to £4.65 million in 2022–23, and stood at £3.34 million in 2024–25, mostly for refugee work. Part of this was funded through a partnership with another foundation, [[This Day]].<ref name="BTAccounts2021" /><ref name="BTAccounts2025" />
 == Aims and grant-making ==