Grantmaking

We are evolving our grantmaking to create a more unified impact, bringing together our commitments to sustainable employability and the natural world - previously delivered through the John Lewis Foundation, John Spedan Lewis Foundation and the Building Happier Futures Fund. We are dedicated to building capabilities for the changing world of work—investing in education and skills to create fair pathways to employment, with a specific focus on the care experienced community —while simultaneously protecting and restoring our natural environment.

Our story

Empowering people and protecting our natural world are central to the John Lewis Partnership ethos. We have united the grantmaking legacies of the John Lewis Foundation, established in 2007 to support skills and employability, the John Spedan Lewis Foundation, created in 1967 to champion conservation with care experience connection focused grantmaking undertaken by the Building Happier Futures Fund.

By bringing together these histories, we now combine our long-standing commitment to creating fair pathways to employment with our dedication to restoring the natural environment. Today, we focus our grantmaking on addressing these interconnected social and environmental challenges together, ensuring we create lasting impact for both people and the planet.

How to apply

Changing Young Lives Foundation

Case study

We granted funding of £87,300 to CYLF, for their Youth Employability Support project for two years. By the end of 2024, 150 disadvantaged 13- to 15-year-olds received one-to-one coaching, access to business mentoring and training in employability skills, widening horizons for their future careers. Our Partners in the Hong Kong Sourcing Office regularly volunteer their time at the Changing Young Lives Foundation.

Toybox & British Asian Trust

Case study

In 2021, drawing on the success of previous separate projects with Toybox & British Asian Trust, we helped bring these two charities together.
They wanted to initiate a collaborative approach to getting street children into education in Jaipur, India. Allocating £450,000, we funded a three-year collaboration –meaning that the expertise of both charities could be used, to make sure no child is left behind in the mission to eradicate child exploitation and child labour.

WasteAid

Case study

Young people are the future of South Africa. Together with WasteAid, we are working with 100 young people who work as informal waste pickers. Through a two year programme of upskilling, mentoring and support, they will be able to make a decent and dignified living - and better support their families. We are training them to be pioneers of a circular 'reduce, recycle and reuse' approach to the waste that is dumped in their communities.

Blackburn Youth Zone

Case study

We granted £99,889 to help Blackburn Youth Zone expand their youth services provision into Darwen, home of Herbert Parkinson Ltd. With our support, Blackburn Youth Zone established their ‘Youth Hub’, providing employability support to 200 16- to 24-year-olds. Herbert Parkinson soft furnishings also provide World of Work tours of the factory, helping young people who are accessing the Youth Hub services upskill for meaningful jobs.

Sharing our skills

Golden Jubilee Trust

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JLP Foundation

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John Lewis Partnership Foundation 

Registered office: 1 Drummond Gate, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2QQ 

Registered Charity number: Registered in England and Wales (1118162)  

Registered Company number: Registered in England and Wales (06058796)

Email: [email protected]