Supporting the voluntary sector
Pears Foundation gives unrestricted grants to some of the main infrastructure organisations that support and champion the UK voluntary sector.
Charities and not-for-profit organisations do incredible work on the front-line, in communities and nationally, but this work doesn’t happen on its own. Infrastructure organisations are the backbone of the charity sector. From professional training to advice on mergers, from support for leaders under pressure to insight from research and data, they provide essential services and give charities a voice with policy-makers and Government. But their value is not matched by their visibility, which is why it’s vital that funders like us support them as part of a thriving voluntary sector.Amy Braier,
Director
Voluntary sector infrastructure organisations perform vital roles supporting and enabling voluntary and community organisations at local, sectoral and national level. However, research from 360Giving shows that the number of infrastructure organisations has decreased since 2011, whilst the number of charities they support has grown.
We believe infrastructure organisations are an essential part of the civil society ecosystem and support a range of infrastructure organisations. Some of these are specific to their sectors, for example the SEN Policy Research Forum, the Autism Alliance UK and UK Youth; others offer more general support.
Our grantees below provide an essential combination of support, training and advocacy, helping charities to work more effectively and make their voices heard, as well as generating valuable research and data insights. They also create spaces for organisations and individuals to reflect, learn and think together.
- ACEVO (the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) supports civil society leaders through connection, skills and influence.
- The Association of Chairs champions, empowers and supports charity chairs.
- The Cranfield Trust works with over a thousand volunteers from the commercial sector to provide pro bono business support for the third sector.
- The Decelerator is a free support service for civil society organisations offering tools and hands-on support for better endings including closures, mergers, CEO transitions and programming ends.
- IVAR, the Institute for Voluntary Action Research, strengthens the sector though action research, education and training.
- NCVO champions the voluntary sector and volunteers by connecting, representing and supporting its member organisations.
- Why Philanthropy Matters provides expert insight and commentary on philanthropy.
- 360Giving supports organisations, including Pears Foundation, to publish their grants data in an open, standardised way and helps people to understand and use the data in order to support decision-making and learning across the charitable giving sector.
Pears Foundation is also a founding supporter of UKGrantmaking, the UK’s definitive annual publication on grant funding. This is unique cross-sector collaboration between 360Giving, the Association of Charitable Foundations, the Association of Charitable Organisations, UK Community Foundations and London Funders that collates data and insight on over £20 billion of funding from across all funding sectors. This grew out of the Foundation Giving Trends research project, which the Foundation supported since its inception in 2010.