Pears Foundation

At Pears Foundation, we believe lasting change is built through long-term relationships. We invest in people, organisations and partnerships that are working to address complex challenges, recognising that meaningful progress rarely happens quickly or through a single intervention.

We are an invitation-only funder. Rather than responding to open applications, we identify opportunities through research, learning and long-term relationships. We take time to understand the issues we care about before deciding where we can add the greatest value.

We see grants as the beginning of a relationship, not the end of a funding process. We aim to build partnerships based on trust, openness and mutual respect, recognising that our partners are the experts in their own work.

Where appropriate, we provide unrestricted funding because we believe organisations are best placed to decide how resources should be used to achieve their mission. Many of our partnerships last for years or even decades, giving organisations the confidence to plan for the future, adapt to changing circumstances and respond to new opportunities.

We know that not every idea will succeed and that organisations sometimes face unexpected challenges. Honest conversations matter more than perfect outcomes. We value partners who are willing to learn, reflect and adapt, and we try to approach our relationships in the same spirit.

Financial support is only one part of our partnerships.

Through our professional development programme and action learning sets, we offer training and learning opportunities for partners, while the Pears Foundation Hub provides workspace, meeting rooms and a collaborative community.

Where we can add value beyond funding, whether through introductions, strategic thinking or sharing experience, we are happy to do so.

We aim to make our funding as straightforward and proportionate as possible.

We do not ask for lengthy reports or unnecessary paperwork. We prefer regular conversations about what is being learned, what is changing and where additional support may be helpful. Reporting should be useful to our partners as well as to us.

We are proud supporters of IVAR’s Open and Trusting Grant-making initiative and publish our grants as part of our commitment to transparency and shared learning.