PA Foundation concludes inaugural year with £1.2 million in funding
The PA Foundation has announced the achievements from its first year in operation. Since launching, the foundation has made grant donations of over £1.2 million, while supplying pro-bono support to multiple projects helping boost STEM and skills education around the world.
In 2022, global advisory firm PA Consulting formed a new non-profit wing, committed to expanding access to quality education, skills and careers, particularly in STEM-related fields. Upon the launch of the charity, PA pledged millions of pounds to support its foundation’s goals for the coming five years.
One year on, the inaugural annual report of the PA Foundation has found it distributed more than £1.2 million of grant-based funding in its first year. The funds have touched the lives of over 3,000 people, with 74% of the funding allocated to organisations supporting people to find work, by boosting their employability and skills.
Anita Chandraker, Chair of The PA Foundation Board of Trustees, said, “Having personally worked in the innovation space for more than three decades, advising organisations of all shapes and sizes on building a better tomorrow, one thing has always stood out for me: having diverse people on the team with the skills and passion to innovate mattered. We want to equip the next generation to apply their ingenuity to solve the world's biggest challenges by supporting them to develop their skills and confidence as they enter employment.”
The PA Foundation provides financial support to charities whose purposes focus on outcomes relating to education, skills, and employment. Among the diverse range of charities and non-profit organisations it has supported are: Stemettes, an organisation working to raise visibility for STEM careers among girls and women in the UK; Upwardly Global, supporting immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with access to employment throughout the US; and Laer for Livet, which helps vulnerable children to grow their educational competencies via supportive learning in Denmark.
Beyond the fund’s financial contributions, the PA Foundation has also enabled charities to benefit from the contribution of skills from PA consultants. In the last year, staff from the firm have provided their time and expertise through volunteering in areas such as mentoring, digital skills training, and career workshops, enabling its charity partners to scale their impact, as well as through pro-bono consulting work.
Looking ahead, PA Consulting’s Interim Managing Director Kully Janjuah, suggested this was just the beginning. “I am so proud of what we have achieved over the last year. As a trustee I get to see first-hand how the grants we provide can transform people’s lives; from increasing educational access for children and young adults to overcoming the societal barriers that support displaced people into decent work.”
“Over the next year I look forward to continuing to expand our partnerships and accelerate the impact we are having across our communities further.”