Over £800k a year to be shared with Merseyside charities and community groups
Howard Lake | 4 July 2025 | News
Charities and community groups in Merseyside will receive over £800,000 a year in funding, following the transfer of nearly £25 million in assets to the Community Foundation for Lancashire and Merseyside.
The donation is the largest single trust transfer donation in the UK Community Foundations network’s history. There are 47 of these across the country.
It comes from the Pilkington Charities Fund. The Trustees of the grantmaker, after spending three years of conversations and undertaking due diligence, made the decision to ensure a lasting commitment to the region, under the stewardship of the Community Foundation.
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The fund will support projects tackling poverty and ill health, with priority given to organisations based in St Helens—the birthplace of the Pilkington legacy. Indeed, Pilkington Charities Fund will be permanently ringfenced for charitable activity in Merseyside, with former Trustees continuing to have input. But in due course, having transferred all its assets, the original charity will be closed down.
Following the agreement, the Pilkington Charities Fund is now open for applications for grants of up to £20,000, including support for core costs. The deadline for applications is 15 August 2025.
Pilkington’s history
The Pilkington name is part of St Helens’ history. Founded in 1826, the Pilkington glass company grew from a modest operation into a global industry leader, pioneering the Float Glass process and becoming the UK’s sole manufacturer of plate glass by 1901.
Generations of the Pilkington family not contributed to the economic success of the town but also gave back, supporting local charities and people facing hardship.
Rae Brooke, CEO of the Community Foundation for Merseyside, explained the significance of the development. He said:
“We feel incredibly honoured to be trusted with this historic legacy and are committed to using it to deliver lasting, tangible impact. At a time of increasing need, this level of investment will be transformational—across St Helens and Merseyside, where the Pilkington story began.”
Neil Jones, Chair of the Pilkington Charities Fund, added:
“As Trustees, we are acutely conscious of the Pilkington heritage and of the region that the Trust was established to support. With the demands and complexity of today’s voluntary sector, we believe that the skills and focus of the Community Foundation for Merseyside will ensure that the Trust’s purposes will be met with renewed vigour.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.