Delight as Pears Foundation pledges £2m to youth organisations

UK Youth is delighted to announce that Pears Foundation is investing a further £2 million into the UK Youth Fund – benefiting thousands more young people across the country.

More than 50 small youth organisations which narrowly missed out on financial help in the last round of grants are now being encouraged to apply to the UK Youth Fund for the support, which is designed to help them thrive.

The money complements the £5m already pledged by Pears Foundation to support youth organisations tackle soaring overheads in the face of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Pears Foundation is the philanthropic foundation of the Pears family, who have given more than £450m to charity since it was established, with the aim of demonstrating the good that philanthropy can achieve.

The new, multi-year funding is unrestricted, allowing the youth organisations – each with an annual income of less than £500,000 – to use their grant how they see fit to grow and build capacity.

Ndidi Okezie OBE, UK Youth chief executive officer, said: “We are so grateful to Pears for its continued support of youth organisations across the UK.

“Long-term unrestricted funding is a rare opportunity for youth organisations, but it’s what we know they find most valuable, being able to spend it where they know there is the biggest need and it will have the biggest benefit. This funding is a real testament to Pears – not only providing long-term unrestricted funding, but also increasing that investment to support more youth organisations across the UK.

“Youth work is life-changing and often life-saving, playing a vital role in supporting young people, providing safe spaces and a sense of belonging and purpose, with youth workers as a trusted adult for young people to talk to.

“Research shows those who engage in youth work become healthier, wealthier and happier adults than those who did not have access to youth work, which is why we are so grateful to Pears for helping extend these opportunities to so many more young people.”

R-City Belfast, which works to “deliver creative and innovative pathways for young people” in Northern Ireland, was among those to receive funding during the cost-of-living crisis.

Alan Waite, R-City senior manager, said: “For us, it was a lifeline. What was most impressive was the flexibility to allow organisations to look at core and running costs, and overheads. That was a lifeline for us. Without that, we would have really struggled.”

Sir Trevor Pears CMG, Pears Foundation executive chair, said: “At Pears Foundation, we regularly visit and see first-hand the extraordinary work done by local youth organisations, so we deeply understand the crucial role they play in supporting young people and their communities across the UK.

“Therefore we are proud to continue our partnership with UK Youth, to reach and support more of these marvellous youth organisations with the unrestricted, multi year funding we know they most need and know how best to spend.”

UK Youth developed its first fund in 2020, with the aim of ensuring “all young people have access to quality, local provision, delivered by youth organisations equipped with sustainable and meaningful funding”. The UK Youth Fund has since distributed more than £20m to the youth sector and assisted in the distribution of a further £25.5m.

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 9,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org 

UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes 

Pears Foundation is an independent family foundation rooted in Jewish values. Led by the Pears family with the support of a full-time professional team, Pears Foundation’s activities are focused on understanding complex issues, engaging people in achieving social progress and promoting wellbeing. Pears Foundation invests about £20m each year in a range of charitable organisations and causes, remaining closely involved with their partners to support and guide them in the pursuit of their goals. To find out more, see pearsfoundation.org.uk