Pears Foundation

Voluntary and community organisations play a vital role in society, but they cannot thrive without the networks, research, leadership and infrastructure that support them. These organisations often receive little recognition, yet they help charities become stronger, more effective and better connected. They also create opportunities for learning, collaboration and collective influence across the voluntary sector.

Pears Foundation believes these organisations are an essential part of a healthy civil society. We provide long-term, unrestricted funding to a range of infrastructure organisations, recognising that they are most effective when they have the stability and flexibility to respond to the changing needs of the charities they support.

We support organisations that help charities build their capacity and resilience, including ACEVO, the Association of Chairs, The Cranfield Trust and The Decelerator. Together they provide leadership development, governance support, pro bono expertise and practical guidance that helps organisations navigate both growth and change.

Alongside this, we invest in organisations that strengthen learning and understanding across the sector. IVAR supports charities and funders through action research and practical learning, while 360Giving has transformed the transparency and accessibility of grant-making data. We also support Why Philanthropy Matters and were a founding supporter of UKGrantmaking, helping improve understanding of philanthropy and charitable funding across the UK.

We also recognise the importance of specialist infrastructure organisations that support particular fields of work. Our partners include UK Youth, Autism Alliance UK and the SEN Policy Research Forum, each helping organisations share learning, influence policy and strengthen practice within their own sectors.

Together, these partnerships reflect our belief that strong charities depend on a strong civil society infrastructure. By investing in the organisations that support others, we help strengthen the wider ecosystem on which thousands of charities rely.