Writing in the 2025 Annual Review, Chairman of the Berkeley Foundation Piers Clanford reflects on the charity’s impacts and contributions over the last year and the challenges ahead in delivering the Foundation’s 2030 Strategic Plan:
Chairman’s Reflections
“Community is at the heart of everything we do at Berkeley – it brings people together, it promotes opportunity, and it inspires progress. I am exceptionally proud of the work the Berkeley Foundation does to empower young people to thrive in our communities. Through our long-term partnerships with the voluntary sector, we have supported over 11,000 people facing the biggest barriers this year – enabling them to grow, thrive and shape the places in which we live and work.
“I am delighted to introduce the Berkeley Foundation’s 2025 Annual Review, which reflects a year of meaningful impact, collaboration and progress. Over the past year, we have deepened our commitment to supporting young people, ensuring that those who face the greatest challenges have the tools and resources they need to thrive.
“The need for our work is ever-growing. Rising living costs, widening inequalities and increasing pressures on essential services continue to affect many in our communities. Through long-term partnerships with inspiring charities, we have provided vital funding, volunteering support and pathways to employment – helping to break down barriers and create positive futures.
My first year as Chair of the Berkeley Foundation Foreword has been hugely rewarding – both personally and professionally. I have been honoured to see many of our fantastic charity partnerships in action and see first-hand the positive impact that they are having in our communities.
Supporting Young People
“I was particularly inspired by the group of young men from North-West London who took part in the Street Elite training-for-work programme, and who I had the pleasure of meeting last summer at their graduation ceremony. It’s humbling to hear their individual stories and see their ambitions shine through, despite the barriers they’ve faced. I’m delighted that this year, we renewed our Strategic Partnership with The Change Foundation, investing a further £1.5 million in Street Elite over the next five years.
“In the last 12 months, we have also renewed our Strategic Partnerships with Money Ready (formerly MyBnk) and the Mayor’s Fund for London. We are working with Money Ready to prevent youth homelessness through delivery of expert financial education to vulnerable young people across London and Birmingham. This year, our partnership helped over 1,000 young people to increase their financial literacy and 85% of the young adults who attended sessions said they felt more financially confident and ready to take on challenges such as debt, eviction, and homelessness.
“Meanwhile, we have committed to support the Kitchen Social programme, delivered by Mayor’s Fund for London, for a further three years – ensuring that grassroots organisations have the tools and resources they need to provide nutritious food and activities for London’s most disadvantaged communities. Our renewed partnership will also see us working more closely with Berkeley Group to deepen our local impact.
Investing in Charity Resilience
“We recognise that high-quality frontline work can only be sustained when organisations have the foundations in place to thrive, whether that’s financial security, strong leadership and people, or robust systems and processes. That’s why the Foundation continues to invest in back-office work aimed at strengthening charitable operations. Through our Resilience Fund this year, we announced five new partnerships with organisations tackling youth homelessness and we launched a new funding programme aimed at building the resilience of charities that are empowering the next generation of leaders.
Berkeley Colleagues’ Contributions
“The incredible support and dedication of Berkeley colleagues from across the business continues to astound me year-on-year. Their ongoing commitment and passion fuel the Foundation’s success, and I am deeply grateful for their contributions. This year, 58% of staff chose to get involved with the Foundation’s work, raising and donating an incredible £839,000 for the Foundation and our charity partners. Our brilliant people also volunteered 1,900 hours of their time, making a real impact in our communities.
Recognition and Awards
“I am delighted and proud that our collective efforts and commitment to philanthropy were recognised at the 2025 Better Society Awards, and we have been awarded the Diamond Payroll Giving Quality Mark from Charities Aid Foundation. These accolades are testament to our strong partnerships and people.
Looking Ahead
“As we look ahead, we remain committed to our mission and ensuring that we use our resources to support organisations, young people and communities to have a positive impact in the areas where the Berkeley Group operates. I very much look forward to working with my fellow Trustees and the Berkeley Foundation team to launch some exciting new partnerships and enhance our impact over the coming year.”
Piers Clanford, Chairman, Berkeley Foundation
About the Berkeley Foundation
The Berkeley Foundation is the independent grant-making charity set up by Berkeley Group in 2011 to support young people and their communities, and help the whole business achieve and evolve its social goals.
The Foundation funds impactful, long-term charitable programmes and partnerships. And it has a big presence inside Berkeley businesses, working to engage and focus our collective skills and resources to tackling homelessness, support young people into work, improve health and wellbeing, and develop the young leaders of tomorrow.