Pears Foundation

Pears Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1009195).

Pears Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It aims to benefit society by promoting understanding of key issues through research and educational programmes, and by driving engagement in social progress across the UK, particularly among young people and organisations focused on wellbeing for everyone. The Pears family has given more than £500m to charity since the Foundation was established. Its annual report records £27,551,694 awarded in its most recent reported year, and it gives in England, Wales and internationally.

Priority Areas

Pears Foundation supports organisations that help people and communities flourish and that work to address complex challenges. It seeks lasting change through people, organisations and partnerships, promoting wellbeing, social engagement and understanding of key issues through research and education. It identifies opportunities through research, learning and long-term relationships, rather than responding to open applications. It treats grants as the beginning of partnerships based on trust, openness and mutual respect, recognising that its partners are experts in their own work. Where appropriate, it provides core or unrestricted funding so organisations can decide how resources best serve their mission. Its support can also include organisational and leadership development, professional learning, introductions and collaborative space.

Themes

• Wellbeing
• Social engagement
• Research and education

Geographic Focus

England; Wales; internationally.

It is invitation-only: the foundation identifies opportunities through research, learning and long-term relationships rather than responding to open applications.

Who can apply:

• While we generally fund charities registered in England and Wales, or equivalent organisations internationally, we retain flexibility to support others when aligned with our objectives.

What the charity says:

• It values partners who are willing to learn, reflect and adapt.
• It builds partnerships based on trust, openness and mutual respect, recognising partners as experts in their own work.
• Where appropriate, it provides unrestricted funding because it trusts organisations to decide how resources should be used.
• It prefers regular conversations about learning and change to lengthy reports or unnecessary paperwork.