What Jack Petchey Foundation does

The Jack Petchey Foundation is a UK-registered charitable foundation (Company Number: 10872145, Charity Number: 1176221), established in 1999 by Sir Jack Petchey CBE, who passed away in 2024. The Foundation operates from a London headquarters and serves young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex through a portfolio of grants, awards, and partnership programmes. Its flagship Achievement Award Scheme distributes grant packages worth up to £6,400 per year to participating schools and youth organisations, supporting over 1,600 organisations and investing almost £3.5 million per year in grassroots youth work. Signature programmes include Speak Out Challenge (the world's largest public speaking competition for young people), Step into Dance (the UK's largest inclusive dance programme, co-created with the Royal Academy of Dance in 2007 and reaching over 50,000 young people since), Glee Club Challenge, Vlogstar Challenge, Perfect Pitch, Wallball, and Planting in the Playground.

The Foundation is predominantly funded through donations from the Petchey Group of Companies, the business empire founded by Sir Jack Petchey. Since inception, it has invested over £180 million in programmes supporting young people across London and Essex. Its operating model is programme-driven rather than technology-driven: technology is limited to a grant management and youth programme coordination platform supporting application, award, and reporting workflows. Distribution is handled through direct school partnerships (mainstream, SEND, and Pupil Referral Units) and youth organisations, with designated coordinators managing participation at each partner site. The Foundation operates under CEO Trudy Kilcullen MBE and a board of trustees.

Grant-making is the primary revenue outflow, structured across multiple streams: Achievement Awards, Open Grants, Leader Awards (up to £750), Environmental Awards (up to £300), Internship Programme, Individual Grants for Volunteering, Educational Visits, and capital grants (Places & Spaces). Major milestones include a £1 million donation in 2009 to build the T.S. Jack Petchey power-training ship for the Marine Society and Sea Cadets, £180,000 of grants at the 18th birthday celebration in 2018, and over £200,000 deployed through the 2020 Giving Something Back programme. The Foundation markets through its website, social media channels (Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), email newsletters, and earned media coverage at venues including City Hall.

Name

Jack Petchey Foundation

Legal name

Jack Petchey Foundation

Website

https://jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Jack Petchey Foundation is a UK-registered charitable foundation, established 1999, that distributes grants, awards, and partnership programmes to young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. Funded mainly through donations from the Petchey Group of Companies, it has invested over £180 million since inception.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Charitable Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Youth grant programmes
• Charitable foundation
• Achievement awards
• Youth development
• Nonprofit grants

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations from Petchey Group of Companies: The Foundation's work is mainly funded through donations from the Petchey Group of Companies, the business empire founded by Sir Jack Petchey CBE.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Jack Petchey Foundation is a UK charitable foundation that provides grants, awards, and youth development programmes to recognise and motivate young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. Its flagship Achievement Award Scheme delivers grant packages of up to £6,400 per year to schools and youth organisations, complemented by signature programmes (Speak Out Challenge, Step into Dance, Glee Club Challenge, Vlogstar Challenge, Take the Stage, Perfect Pitch, Wallball, Planting in the Playground) and additional grant streams (Open Grants, Leader Award, Environmental Award, Internship Programme, Individual Grants for Volunteering, Educational Visits, Places & Spaces).

Product overview

The Jack Petchey Foundation is a charitable organisation offering a portfolio of youth development programmes and grant schemes across London and Essex. The core offering centres on the Achievement Award Scheme providing grants to schools and youth organisations, complemented by signature programmes including the Speak Out Challenge (world's largest public speaking competition), Step into Dance (UK's largest inclusive dance programme), Glee Club Challenge, Vlogstar Challenge, and Perfect Pitch. The foundation also manages various grant streams including Open Grants, Leader Awards, Environmental Awards, Internship Programme, Individual Grants for Volunteering, Educational Visit grants, and Places & Spaces capital grants. Additional programmes include School Planners, Cartoon Competition, Planting in the Playground, Wallball, Take the Stage, and the Achiever Network. The foundation has invested over £180 million supporting young people across London and Essex.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Step into Dance: A dance programme created in partnership with the Royal Academy of Dance, reaching over 50,000 young people across London and Essex. It is the largest inclusive dance programme in the UK.
• Jack Petchey's Speak Out Challenge
• Achievement Awards Scheme
• Glee Club Challenge
• Vlogstar Challenge
• Step Live

Products and services

• Achievement Award Scheme The Foundation's flagship grant programme providing packages of grants worth up to £6,400 per year to schools and youth organisations, enabling them to recognise and reward young people's achievements. Reaches over 1,600 partner organisations with almost £3.5m invested annually in grassroots youth work.
• Jack Petchey's Speak Out Challenge

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £180 million invested in young people across London and Essex since inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Academy of DancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Academy of Dance and the Jack Petchey Foundation created Step Into Dance in 2007. The programme has since become the largest inclusive dance programme in the UK, reaching over 50,000 young people. The Foundation values this partnership as a cornerstone of its arts engagement strategy.
• Sixteen organisations in Giving Something Back programmeminorOthersOrganisations including Barking and Dagenham Progress Project, Centre 404, Dalmain Athletic Girls FC, GirlGuiding UK, Hatfield Peverel FC, and others participating in the Giving Something Back programme to increase meaningful volunteering opportunities for young people with over £200,000 invested.
• The Royal Society for Blind ChildrenminorOthersGrant recipient providing support to blind Londoners aged 18-25 through workshops on money management, social/creative activities and one-to-one support.
• Caxton Youth OrganisationminorOthersWestminster-based organisation receiving grant for mental wellbeing project supporting young people with learning disabilities on employment support and independent skills programme.
• MyBnkminorOthersFinancial education organisation working across London, receiving funding to deliver 11 Money Works workshops focusing on 'hard to reach' young people at risk of financial exclusion.
• Tim Campbell MBEminorOthersWinner of The Apprentice and Patron of the Jack Petchey Foundation, actively involved in supporting the Foundation's mission.
• Dame Helen MirrenminorOthersInternationally renowned actress and Patron of the Jack Petchey Foundation lending her name and support to the organisation.
• UK WallballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Wallball partnered with the Foundation to open the UK's first community Wallball court in Southwark. The Foundation contributed to this urban sport initiative that enables young people to get active through accessible, low-cost sport.
• Bankside Open Spaces TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner working with UK Wallball and the Foundation to create the Marlborough Sport Gardens Wallball court, enhancing park areas for the local community.
• London Children's Flower SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the Planting in the Playground project, providing Secondary and Special Needs schools with garden spaces worth £500 each, including planters, soil, tools, and three years of ongoing support.
• London YouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for residential adventure trips with young people, co-sponsoring the #JackPetcheyAdventure photo competition offering £200 prizes.
• Essex Boys and Girls ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for residential adventure trips with young people, co-sponsoring the #JackPetcheyAdventure photo competition.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Henry Smith Charity: Independent UK grantmaking foundation providing grants across education, youth, and community causes. Comparable as a UK grantmaking foundation with multi-decade operational history and a similar grants-plus-programmes operating model.
• The Children's Society: National UK charity working with vulnerable children and young people through direct services and grant-funded programmes. Comparable as a UK youth-focused charitable organisation providing direct support and grants to vulnerable young people.
• Paul Hamlyn Foundation: One of the larger UK grantmaking foundations, with youth and education as core funding priorities. Comparable as a UK grantmaking foundation supporting young people's opportunities through open grants and structured programmes.
• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: Independent UK grantmaking foundation supporting social and educational causes including youth opportunity. Comparable as an institutional UK grantmaker with diversified programme areas and a long-term endowment-style funding model.
• The Dulverton Trust: Independent UK grantmaking foundation that funds youth opportunities and other charitable causes. Comparable as an institutional UK grantmaking foundation with youth as a core priority and similar endowment-driven funding model.
• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth-focused charity providing grants, training and programmes to young people aged 11-30. Directly comparable in mission (youth empowerment) and operating model (grants + structured programmes), with a similarly high-profile royal/celebrity brand association.
• Youth Endowment Fund: UK grantmaking charity specifically funding youth-focused programmes to prevent youth violence. Comparable as a UK youth grantmaking foundation distributing multi-year programme funding, with similar performance-monitoring expectations on grantees.
• BBC Children in Need: UK-wide grantmaking charity funding projects for children and young people. Directly comparable as a major UK youth-focused grantmaking foundation distributing funds to schools and youth organisations, though at much larger scale and broader geography.

Regional players

• City Bridge Foundation: London-focused grantmaking charity funded by the City's Bridge House Estates. Comparable as a London-concentrated UK grantmaking foundation distributing funds to community and youth organisations in the capital, though at significantly larger asset scale.

Broad incumbents

• National Lottery Community Fund: Largest UK funder of community and youth projects, distributing Lottery-funded grants across the country. Comparable as a major UK grantmaking body funding youth organisations, but operating at national scale with substantially larger budget and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JPFoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PetcheyFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/JackPetcheyFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/jackpetcheyfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jack-petchey-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jack Petchey Foundation