Charities and community groups in Merseyside will receive over £800,000 a year in
funding, following the transfer of £25 million in assets from the Pilkington Charities
Fund to the Community Foundation for Lancashire and Merseyside.

The donation is the largest single trust transfer donation in the UK Community Foundations network history, of which there are 47 across the country.

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.

In the announcement, the fund said that from July, the Pilkington Charities Fund will offer grants of up to £20,000, including support for core costs.

Rae Brooke, CEO of the Community Foundation for Merseyside, 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."

Founded in 1826, the Pilkington glass company grew into a global industry leader, pioneering the Float Glass process and becoming the UK’s sole manufacturer of plate
glass by 1901.

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.”

Pilkington Charities Fund will be permanently and predominantly ringfenced for
charitable activity in Merseyside, with former Trustees continuing to have input.

For charities interested in applying, full guidance is available on the Community
Foundation for Merseyside website.

---