The Pack Foundation

Quick Stats

• Registered Charity Number: 1118301
• Annual Income: £65,832 (FY ending 31 March 2025)
• Annual Expenditure: £112,890 (FY ending 31 March 2025)
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: England and Wales (with worldwide remit)
• Operating Model: Private family foundation with trustee discretion

Contact Details

Address: c/o Kreston Reeves, 37 St. Margarets Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2TU

Phone: 03301 241399

Website: No public website identified

Note: Correspondence should be directed to the registered address. Kreston Reeves LLP is the accounting firm that manages the foundation's administrative affairs.

Overview

The Pack Foundation is a private family charitable trust established on 9 February 2007 by the Pack family of Canterbury, Kent. The foundation is connected to the Holiday Extras Group, a successful travel services company founded by Gerry Pack in 1983. With seven family trustees, the foundation operates as a grant-making charity supporting causes both locally and internationally.

The foundation has modest but significant resources, with annual expenditure substantially exceeding income in recent years (£112,890 expenditure vs £65,832 income in FY 2025), indicating active grant-making funded from reserves. The foundation is recognized by HMRC for Gift Aid purposes and maintains proper governance policies including financial reserves, risk management, and conflict of interest procedures.

The Pack Foundation represents a multi-generational family commitment to philanthropy, with trustees including both the founding generation (Gerry and Carol Pack) and their children, ensuring continuity of the family's charitable vision.

Funding Priorities

Grant-Making Approach

The Pack Foundation operates as a private grant-making trust with broad charitable objects. According to their governing document, trustees hold the trust fund and its income “upon trust for such purposes which are exclusively charitable under the laws of England and Wales as the trustees may decide from time to time.”

This provides the trustees with wide discretion to support charitable causes across multiple sectors and geographies.

Charitable Activities

The foundation states three key activities:

• Obtaining charitable donations - Building the foundation's resources
• Maximizing long-term income - Active investment management to grow funds
• Actively seeking charitable causes worldwide - Proactive identification of grant recipients

The foundation makes grants to:

• Individuals in need
• Charitable organisations
• Other voluntary bodies

Geographic Scope

While registered to operate throughout England and Wales, the foundation explicitly states it seeks “charitable causes worldwide,” suggesting an international remit beyond the UK.

What They May Not Fund

As a private foundation with no published grant guidelines, exclusions are not publicly documented. The broad charitable objects suggest few categorical restrictions, with decisions made at trustee discretion.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees (7 members)

Founding Generation:

• Gerald Nigel Pack (born May 1953) - Founder of Holiday Extras in 1983; previously held directorships in multiple Holiday Extras companies and currently serves as director of Spires Academy and Markmill Limited
• Carol Anne Pack - Co-founder with Gerry of Holiday Extras

Second Generation:

• Matthew Geoffrey Pack - Group CEO of Holiday Extras since January 2015; lives near Canterbury, Kent
• Jeremy Christopher Pack - Studied at Bournemouth University; involved with Holiday Extras
• Simon Gordon Pack

Additional Trustees:

• Elisabeth Hirlemann
• Hannah Louise Aylett

Governance Policies

The foundation maintains:

• Financial reserves policy
• Risk management procedures
• Conflict of interest policy
• No trustee remuneration (all serve on a voluntary basis)
• No employees with benefits over £60,000
• No trading subsidiaries

The foundation is supported by Kreston Reeves LLP, a Canterbury-based accountancy firm specializing in charity accounting that serves over 700 charitable and not-for-profit clients.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Pack Foundation does not operate a public application process. This is a private family foundation where grants are awarded at the trustees' discretion. There is no online portal, application form, or published guidelines for prospective applicants.

The foundation's stated approach of “actively seeking charitable causes worldwide” indicates trustees proactively identify and select grant recipients rather than responding to open applications.

Getting on Their Radar

Given the Pack family's business background and connections:

1. Kent Community Connections: The Pack family has deep roots in Canterbury and Kent through Holiday Extras. Organizations working in Kent, particularly in the Canterbury, Folkestone, and Ashford areas where Holiday Extras has been active, may align with local interests.

• Porchlight (homelessness and housing support)
• Rainbow Centre in Folkestone (food bank and support services)
• The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity
• RSPB Dungeness Nature Reserve
• International education projects (e.g., school projects in Burkina Faso)

These may indicate areas of family interest, though the foundation's interests may differ from the company's CSR program.

1. International Development: The foundation explicitly mentions seeking causes “worldwide,” and Holiday Extras has supported international education projects, suggesting potential interest in global development work.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are made at trustee discretion without a formal application process.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Given the private, discretionary nature of The Pack Foundation's grant-making, public information about what makes applications successful is not available. However, based on the foundation's structure and context:

Understanding the Foundation's Character

• Family-driven decision making: All seven trustees are family members or close associates, meaning decisions reflect personal values and family discussions rather than scoring criteria
• Active, engaged philanthropy: The statement about “actively seeking charitable causes” suggests trustees are hands-on and interested in discovering projects rather than processing applications
• Investment mindset: The emphasis on “maximizing long-term income from existing funds” indicates sophisticated financial management and potentially a long-term view of grant-making
• Substantial grant-making: With expenditure of £112,890 against income of £65,832, the foundation is actively spending from reserves, indicating committed grant-making

Potential Alignment Factors

Based on the family's business background and known interests:

1. Entrepreneurial solutions: The Pack family built a successful business from scratch; initiatives showing innovation and business acumen may resonate
2. Kent connections: Multi-generational commitment to the Canterbury area suggests local causes may receive particular attention
3. Practical impact: Holiday Extras' corporate giving has favored tangible, practical support (hedge trimmers for conservation, school supplies for children) rather than purely administrative funding
4. Community infrastructure: Support for organizations like Porchlight and Rainbow Centre suggests interest in essential community services

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• This is a private family foundation - There is no public application process, and grants are made at trustee discretion
• Proactive, not reactive grant-making - The foundation “actively seeks” causes rather than inviting applications
• Significant grant-making capacity - Annual expenditure exceeding £110,000 indicates meaningful grant-making
• Broad charitable remit - The foundation can support any purpose “exclusively charitable under the laws of England and Wales”
• Family governance - All seven trustees are from the Pack family or close associates
• Kent and Canterbury roots - Multi-generational presence in Canterbury through Holiday Extras suggests potential interest in local causes
• Long-term perspective - Emphasis on investment management suggests planning for sustained, long-term grant-making

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• THE LHR CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
• The James Knott Family Foundation
• The Freddie Green and Family Charitable Foundation
• The Dagny Raymond Charitable Trust
• Delves Charitable Trust
• The Du Plessis Family Foundation
• Dullatur Foundation
• Wright Family Foundation
• The Tomlinson Family Charitable Trust
• The Phillips Family Charitable Trust

References

• UK Charity Commission Register: The Pack Foundation, Charity Number 1118301. Retrieved January 2026. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1118301
• Companies House: Gerald Nigel Pack personal appointments. Retrieved January 2026
• Companies House: Matthew Geoffrey Pack personal appointments. Retrieved January 2026
• Holiday Extras: Company History. Retrieved January 2026. https://www.holidayextras.com/about-us/company-history.html
• Holiday Extras: Gerry Pack biography. Retrieved January 2026
• Holiday Extras: Matthew Pack CEO biography. Retrieved January 2026
• Holiday Extras: Sponsorship and charitable giving. Retrieved January 2026
• Travolution: “Holiday Extras founders exit after 42 years”. Retrieved January 2026
• Kreston Reeves: Charities and not for profit accountants. Retrieved January 2026