October 12, 2026
The Seafarers’ Charity partners with Cranfield Trust to support maritime welfare charities
The Seafarers’ Charity has partnered with Cranfield Trust, the UK's leading provider of pro bono management consultancy and leadership mentoring, to launch a pilot programme offering tailored capacity-building support to maritime welfare charities, helping them strengthen their organisations and improve the support they provide to seafarers.
This collaboration is the first step in a planned ‘Funder Plus’ programme from The Seafarers’ Charity, which aims to identify organisational strengths, develop greater self-awareness and position the charities for future success. If the pilot is successful, the programme will be fully operational in 2027.
Up to five charities will take part in the pilot, which will equip them with tools, insight and confidence to strengthen leadership, governance and strategy.
Organisations already confirmed include ‘I Exist Too’, a charity dedicated to creating a more humane maritime sector where LGBTQ+ people are recognised, valued and supported, and UK Women in Fisheries, a network for all women who work in UK fishing.
As part of the partnership, The Seafarers’ Charity and Cranfield Trust also hosted an ‘Impact Measurement’ webinar on 20 October 2026. The session explored topics including the connection between impact measurement and a Theory of Change, offering practical guidance to help charities get started on measuring their impact.
“I am pleased that we have been able to award funding to Cranfield Trust to enable them to support the charities that we fund. With financial challenges caused by increased costs and donors demanding evidence of impact many charities need to review how they can best meet the increasing demands of their beneficiaries. I believe our new ‘funder plus’ programme will really help charities to take their next big step forward in serving their beneficiaries.” - Tina Barnes, Impact Director at The Seafarers’ Charity
