The Borrow Foundation
The Borrow Foundation is a UK-based grant-making charity established in 1971 that funds oral health prevention programmes and research worldwide, prioritizing children and low- and middle-income countries in alignment with the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersWaterlooville, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Borrow Foundation does
The Borrow Foundation is a UK-registered grant-making charity (Charity No. 1060308, Company No. 3303900) established in 1971 by Dr Edgar Borrow, a farmer and mechanical engineer who pioneered milk fluoridation as an alternative to water fluoridation for children's dental caries prevention. Headquartered in Waterlooville, England, the foundation operates with a lean staff of 1-10 employees and disburses funds from an endowment to support oral health improvement initiatives worldwide, with priority given to children and low- and middle-income countries.
The foundation's work is organized around five interconnected grant-making areas: a core grant-making programme funding leading health agencies, government bodies, academic institutes, dental associations, and charities; population-based programmes supporting implementation of school and kindergarten-based prevention initiatives (e.g., supervised toothbrushing, fluoride varnish, milk fluoridation); global and regional initiatives including support for WHO, the Lancet Commission on Oral Health, and the GLOBICS consortium of 16 birth cohort studies; research funding for clinical, laboratory, and population studies; and dental association support including sponsorship of the European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH). Notable grantees include the Chilean Ministry of Education/JUNAEB (milk fluoridation reaching 200,000+ children), Cambodia's Ministry of Health, Newcastle University's WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, the University of Queensland, and academic partners across 30+ countries.
The foundation's strategic framework for 2025-2030 is aligned to the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan, with a particular emphasis on implementation research that translates oral disease prevention evidence into policy and population-scale practice. As a politically and financially independent charity, it has no commercial revenue model; its activities are funded entirely by returns on its endowment, and it operates without parent company, subsidiary, or external equity backing. Distribution is via direct grant awards and partnerships, with reach extended through WHO regional offices and professional dental associations rather than traditional sales channels.
The Borrow Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Borrow Foundation
- Legal name
- The Borrow Foundation
- Website
- https://borrowfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Borrow Foundation is a UK-based grant-making charity established in 1971 that funds oral health prevention programmes and research worldwide, prioritizing children and low- and middle-income countries in alignment with the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Borrow Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Health Grantmaking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Global Health Financing Mechanisms & Pooled Funds (HLAJAOAC)
Keywords
Where The Borrow Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waterlooville
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Borrow Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Charitable Grant-Making: The Borrow Foundation is a UK-based grant-making charity (registered Charity No. 1060308) established in 1971. The foundation receives income from its endowment and uses these funds to provide grants to organizations working on oral health improvement, primarily in children. The foundation does not generate revenue from products or services.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Borrow Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Borrow Foundation is a UK-based grant-making charity that awards financial grants to leading health agencies, government bodies, academic institutes, dental associations, and charities to support oral health improvement initiatives, primarily in children. Funding covers population-based prevention programmes, clinical and population research, support for international and regional oral health initiatives, and capacity building for dental public health professionals, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Product overview
The Borrow Foundation is a UK-based grant-making charity focused on improving oral health primarily in children through the prevention of oral diseases. The Foundation operates as a unified grant-making organisation offering funding across five interconnected areas: Population-Based Programmes that support implementation of school and kindergarten-based oral health initiatives; Global/Regional Initiatives that fund WHO, Lancet Commission, and international research consortia; Research Funding for clinical, laboratory, and population studies; Dental Association Support for organisations promoting dental public health; and the core Grant-Making Programme that awards funds to health agencies, government bodies, academic institutions, and charities worldwide. All programmes align with the WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan and focus on reducing oral health inequalities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Grant-Making Programme Financial grants awarded to leading health agencies, government bodies, academic institutes, dental associations, and charities worldwide to support oral health improvement initiatives, primarily for children.
- Population-Based Programmes Support Grants supporting implementation and evaluation of community-based oral health programmes delivered primarily through schools and kindergartens, with priority focus on low- and middle-income countries.
- Global and Regional Initiatives Support Grants funding international health agencies, organisations and institutions including WHO, the Lancet Commission on Oral Health, and the GLOBICS consortium for oral health research and policy work.
- Research Funding Grants awarded to leading academic institutes for clinical studies, laboratory investigations, and population research focused on oral disease prevention.
- Dental Association Support Grants supporting dental associations and organisations that promote dental public health and oral health research, including the European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH), IADR, BASCD, and BFS.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200,000+ children reached through milk fluoridation programme in Chile pre-pandemic
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Borrow Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Borrow Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Borrow Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WHO Regional Office for the Western PacificcoreA new agreement was signed during the World Health Assembly in Geneva between WHO Western Pacific Regional Director Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala and Nigel Borrow, Trustee of The Borrow Foundation. The collaboration focuses on prevention, integration of essential oral health care into primary health care and universal health coverage, and strengthened coordination across the Region. The partnership aims to support implementation of the first-ever Western Pacific Regional Implementation Plan for the Global Strategy and Action Plan on Oral Health.
- National Dental Research Institute SingaporecoreThe foundation supports the GLOBICS project - Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies: A Global Consortium, led by Professor Karen Glazer Peres. This international research initiative was launched in 2021 and has fostered collaboration between teams conducting oral health epidemiological studies embedded within birth cohort studies across 16 studies in countries including USA, Brazil, Germany, Thailand, Netherlands, France, Cambodia, Uganda, China, and Australia.
- European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH)coreSince 2010, the foundation has provided grants to EADPH including sponsorship of 12 travel grants annually for researchers to present at annual congresses, 100 membership subsidies yearly for individuals in lower-income European countries, and funding for keynote speakers delivering 'The Borrow Lecture'. Support was also provided to help establish a section on Prevention of Oral Diseases within the European Public Health Association (EUPHA).
- UNICEF CambodiaminorCollaboration with UNICEF for the Cambodian Health and Nutrition Monitoring Study (CAHENMS), supporting a longitudinal oral health survey examining links between dental caries and under-nutrition in Cambodian preschool children.
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and Oral Health, Newcastle UniversitycoreFoundation funded a systematic review conducted at Newcastle University that informed the development of a WHO manual on the prevention and management of early childhood caries. The review considered 13,831 papers with 137 eligible for inclusion, addressing infant feeding, diet, oral hygiene, and fluoride.
- Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHes), Malawi and University of GlasgowminorCollaborative project involving KUHes, University of Glasgow, and Malawian Ministry of Health to address oral disease burden in Malawian children. Project components included national oral health survey, systematic overview, situation analysis, and Child Oral Health Improvement Workshop leading to establishment of a Child Oral Health Task Force.
- The Lancet Commission on Oral HealthcoreA foundation grant helped establish The Lancet Commission on Oral Health, which published a ground-breaking oral health series in The Lancet in July 2019. Twenty-seven experts from 16 countries were appointed as commissioners focusing on global advocacy, equity, health system reform, and commercial determinants.
- University of Queensland, Population Oral Health UnitminorPartnership with University of Queensland's Population Oral Health Unit to support Vietnam's National Oral Health Survey 2024-25, targeting over 10,000 participants to establish a national oral health database aligned with WHO's Global Oral Health Action Plan 2030.
- Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA)minorSupport for the CAVORAH study implementing school-based oral health interventions in Cape Verde including daily group toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and silver diamine fluoride applications to arrest dental caries in children aged 5-13.
- Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, IndiaminorFunding for project training Anganwadi community health workers to deliver oral health education to benefit over 6,000 children and mothers, with indirect impact on 20,000 family members in the Cochin area.
- La Trobe University, Violet Vines Marshman Centre, AustraliaminorSupport for project addressing oral health disparities in children in out-of-home care in rural Australia, including co-designing prevention activities (fluoride varnish, toothbrushing, fissure sealants) and piloting with 50 children over 12 months in Loddon and Mildura regions.
- University of Glasgow, University of Chile, and Diego Portales UniversityminorComprehensive evaluation of Chile's fluoridated milk programme through a 24-month project assessing programme effectiveness in reducing dental caries rates and impact on oral health inequalities among rural Chilean children.
- University of Puthisastra, CambodiaminorSupport for Collaborating Centre for Innovation in Population Oral Health (CIPO) to enhance oral health care for Cambodian preschoolers through the CNAPOH 2023-2030, including strengthening oral health leadership and implementing essential care delivery pathways.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Borrow Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wellcome Trust: UK-based global charitable foundation that funds health research and public health initiatives. Highly comparable to Borrow Foundation as a UK health-focused grantmaking body, though significantly larger in scale and broader in scope (covering infectious disease, mental health, and climate-health).
- Oral Health Foundation: UK-based independent charity focused on improving oral health through education, campaigns, and grants. The most thematically direct peer to Borrow Foundation as both are UK charities singularly focused on oral health improvement.
- WHO Foundation: Independent grantmaking foundation supporting WHO's mission through fundraising and partnerships. Directly comparable given Borrow Foundation's deep WHO collaboration, including the 2026 Western Pacific agreement and GLOBICS project support.
- Nuffield Foundation: UK charitable trust that funds research and policy work in education, justice, and wellbeing. Comparable as a UK grantmaking foundation of similar scale operating with a small team and similar governance model.
- The Health Foundation: Independent UK foundation focused on improving health and health care. Directly comparable as a UK-based health-focused grantmaking charity, though with a broader UK health system improvement remit rather than disease-specific focus.
- Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): UK-based global philanthropic foundation focused on improving children's lives through grants to programmes in health, nutrition, and education. Comparable as a UK-registered children-focused grantmaking foundation, though significantly larger and with broader thematic scope.
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation: UK charitable foundation funding research and policy on poverty, housing, and wellbeing. Comparable as a UK grantmaking foundation of similar scale and operating model, with similar small team and endowment-funded structure.
- FDI World Dental Federation: International membership organization representing the dental profession globally, with a focus on oral health advocacy and policy. Comparable given Borrow Foundation's similar global oral health convening role and partnerships with dental associations like EADPH and IADR.
- International Association for Dental Research (IADR): Global organization dedicated to advancing dental, oral, and craniofacial research. Directly comparable given Borrow Foundation's sustained support for IADR, BASCD, and BFS, and its role in funding oral health research through grants and travel awards.
Broad incumbents
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The world's largest private foundation with a major global health division. Comparable as a global health grantmaking organization, though much larger in scope and scale, and not focused on oral health specifically.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Borrow Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Borrow Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Borrow Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Borrow Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Borrow Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The Borrow Foundation
What does The Borrow Foundation do?
The Borrow Foundation is a UK-based grant-making charity that awards financial grants to leading health agencies, government bodies, academic institutes, dental associations, and charities to support oral health improvement initiatives, primarily in children. Funding covers population-based prevention programmes, clinical and population research, support for international and regional oral health initiatives, and capacity building for dental public health professionals, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Is The Borrow Foundation a public or private company?
The Borrow Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Borrow Foundation founded?
The Borrow Foundation was founded in 1971. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Borrow Foundation based?
The Borrow Foundation is headquartered in Waterlooville, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Borrow Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable Grant-Making.
Who are The Borrow Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wellcome Trust, Oral Health Foundation, WHO Foundation, Nuffield Foundation, The Health Foundation, Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Joseph Rowntree Foundation, FDI World Dental Federation and International Association for Dental Research (IADR). Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Borrow Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Borrow Foundation.
What industry is The Borrow Foundation in?
The Borrow Foundation's product category is Public Health Grantmaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAL, Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAH, International Grantmaking & Development Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211.