Pears Foundation

We support initiatives that increase engagement with, and improve the quality and quantity of, philanthropy.

Pennies Foundation promotes micro-philanthropy with the vision that wherever consumers use a card for payment, whether online, in shops or on their mobile phones, they are given the opportunity to donate a few pennies to charity.

Pennies provides a digital charity box service, working with retailers to give their customers the option to donate their ‘electronic change’ to charity. Customers can round up their bill to the nearest pound or add on a specified number of pennies before payment.  Retailers choose specific charities that they feel will most resonate with themselves and their customers and Pennies Foundation facilitates the donations.

Pennies has achieved 134 million donations since it was established in 2010, benefitting over 700 charities and working with a variety of major retailers and service providers to raise over £33million for charitable causes. It aims to build a movement of retailers, payment technology providers, foundations and charities all committed to making giving micro-donations easy and affordable for everyone and raising funds for charities at a time when they are desperately needed.

Pears Foundation has provided core funding for Pennies Foundation since 2011 enabling the organisation to grow and reach more partners across the UK.

Pears Foundation is also a core funder of Israeli organisation Round-Up, which promotes a different form of micro-giving, offering individuals the opportunity to round up their credit card transactions to the nearest round amount and select a charity to which to donate the change. Since its inception in 2008 Round-Up has raised over £20million.