# Over £800k a year to be shared with Merseyside charities and community groups

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/07/04/800k-a-year-to-be-shared-with-merseyside-charities/
- Published: 2025-07-04T16:04:25+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**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 Community Foundation helps donors give strategically to local causes through
tailored funds, expert management, and rigorous due diligence.

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](https://cfmerseyside.org.uk/grants/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**.

![Reinvigorating over £800k a year for Merseyside's charity sector](https://wfay6x.
infiniteuploads.cloud/2025/07/pilkington-charities-fund-transfer.jpeg)

Image: Pilkington Charities Fund and Community Foundation for Merseyside

## 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.”

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