We are very proud to announce a further £10 million commitment to UK Youth, reinforcing a long-standing partnership focused on expanding access to high-quality youth work across the UK. This latest investment brings our total support to £19 million, making us UK Youth’s largest funding partner to date.
The funding will underpin the UK Youth Fund, providing unrestricted, multi-year grants to youth organisations. In line with our approach, it is designed to offer flexibility – enabling organisations to meet core costs, strengthen staff resilience and build the capacity needed to grow sustainably.
At the Foundation, we have consistently championed long-term, trust-based funding, both through our direct grant-making and our wider support to intermediary organisations that can reach communities at scale. This latest investment reflects our commitment to strengthening civil society by backing organisations over the long term and enabling them to respond to the needs of the communities they serve.
Access to youth work remains uneven across the UK, with young people in disadvantaged communities, including those eligible for free school meals, significantly less likely to benefit from youth provision. By supporting organisations with smaller turnovers in underinvested areas, the UK Youth Fund aims to help address these inequalities and ensure more young people can access safe, supportive spaces.
Sir Trevor Pears CMG, Executive Chair of Pears Foundation, said:
“Having had the great privilege of visiting many of the youth clubs we have funded over the years, I’m always struck by the people behind them – the staff and volunteers who build deep, trusted relationships with young people and create spaces where they feel supported and safe.
This funding is about backing them. It’s about placing trust in their expertise and judgment. It’s about giving them the flexibility and confidence to keep doing what they do best, while also recognising the immense value of their work and the difference they make in communities every day.
We’re very proud to be continuing our partnership with UK Youth, helping to ensure that hundreds more youth organisations across the country have the support they need to keep their doors open and reach the young people who can benefit most.”
