Reed Foundation donates £520,000 to 52 charities
Howard Lake | 21 August 2025 | News
The Reed Foundation has concluded its year-long charitable initiative, donating £520,000 to 52 different charities across the UK.
To mark Reed’s 65th anniversary and founder Sir Alec Reed’s 90th birthday, £10,000 was donated each week throughout the year to charities nominated by Reed employees.
This initiative highlights Reed‘s longstanding commitment to supporting charitable organisations across diverse causes. Since its creation in 1985, the Reed Foundation has donated more than £22.5 million to charitable organisations, including those supported through its match-funding platform, the Big Give. Since 2008, the Big Give has helped to raise over £280 million for more than 16,000 charity projects.
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Charities that benefited from the year-long campaign
The charities that received donations during the campaign include the following.
- Samuel’s Promise received a £10,000 donation to support research into low-grade brain tumours. This fund, created in memory of Samuel Priestley, is dedicated to improving surgical advancements and outcomes for children battling brain tumours.
Niketa Johnson – a Public Sector Recruitment Consultant based in Reed’s Leicester office, nominated the charity as she works closely with Samuel’s father, Keith Priestley, and recognises the impact the research will have.
Speaking on the donation, Keith said: “I was really taken aback when Niketa picked Samuel’s charity. The donation will make a massive difference – brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, yet the condition only receives three percent of research spend.” - The Myton Hospices received a donation, which was put towards expanding its care offerings, including hiring more nurses to provide specialist end-of-life care.
Kayleigh Hersey, who nominated Myton after they cared for her father, said: “For dad, being at home was the number one thing. The fact the charity could do that for us left a great memory for him, that in his dying days he could be at home, and for us as a family that we could be with him. This money will be life-changing for people and will enable the charity to get more staff, provide more support and to reach out to more people in the community.”
- The Final Straw Foundation, based in Emsworth, Hampshire, received a donation to support its beach cleans across the south coast and works to maintain ocean health.
Bianca Carr, CEO of the Final Straw Foundation, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Reed Foundation for its generous funding, which will allow us to continue delivering our Wild Beach School programme over the coming year. This initiative is a core part of our environmental education outreach, helping to connect young people with nature and develop a deeper understanding of the world around them.”
Sir Alec Reed, CBE, reflected on the 12-month campaign, saying:
“Through the charity raffle I wanted to share the joy of giving and provide an opportunity for our co-members to support the causes that are close to their hearts. I have been moved and inspired by the personal stories that have informed many of the co-member’s charity choices and would like to thank everyone who took part.”
Full list of charities donated to
A.C.E Achieve Change and Engagement
Alzheimer’s Society
Breast Cancer Now
Brixton Soup Kitchen
Burdett Foundation (FC)
Cancer Research UK (x2 donations)
Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG), Samuel’s Promise
Cynthia Spencer Hospice
Dementia UK
Disability Peterborough
Durham Freemasons Charity
Essex Horse & Pony Protection Society
FearFree
Final Straw Foundation
Friends of the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity
Hypo Hounds
Islamic Relief Worldwide
Little Miracles
London Advanced Motorcyclists
Macmillan Cancer Support (x2 donations)
Manchester and Cheshire Dogs Home
Motor Neurone Disease Association
Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter
Nightingale House Hospice
North London Hospice
North Solihull Foodbank
NSPCC
Pancreatic Cancer UK
Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide
River Garden Auchincruive
Rotherham Hospice
Royal British Legion
Senior Solutions, Westhoughton
SOS Rape Crisis – South Essex
Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK
The Children’s Trust
The Jack Lonergan Foundation
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust
The Myton Hospices
The National Society for Phenylketonuria (United Kingdom) Limited
The Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity
The Seashell Trust
The UK Committee for UNICEF
UNICEF UK
Wakefield Hospice
Wearside Women in Need (WWIN)
You okay doc?
The York Special Care Baby Unit Support Group
Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice
- £1 million Sir Alec Reed Prize awarded to UK youth charity (6 December 2024)
- Reed to donate £10,000 a week to charity for a year (9 July 2024)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.