The Quilter Foundation, the charity arm of wealth manager Quilter, has pledged £3m to financial education over the next five years.
The move is part of a £4m pledge which includes £1m to grants that will support a variety of charitable organisations.
Under its new strategy, the Foundation will launch a new Financial Education in Schools initiative to deliver curriculum-aligned financial education to students across the UK, in partnership with charity partner, Money Ready.
In addition, the Foundation will offer grants of up to £1m to support large-scale UK financial education programmes delivered by specialist charities. The programmes will provide financial education to people at key life moments, from entering the workforce to periods of financial hardship and retirement planning.
Since being set up in 2018, the Quilter Foundation has donated more than £4.3m to its charity partners and local organisations, and has supported more than 100,000 individuals through a combination of strategic partnerships and community-based grant programmes.
Steven Levin, CEO of Quilter and chairman of the Quilter Foundation, said: “There is a severe lack of financial education and, consequently, financial capability in the UK. The final curriculum review at the end of last year represented a landmark moment in that it acknowledged that financial education is not a luxury but a necessity.
“However, while receiving such support in schools is vital, for many people the time has already passed. We are determined to help plug this gap, and prevent the next generation from suffering the same fate.”
Under its new strategy, the Quilter Foundation will shift from traditional short-term grant making to developing deeper strategic partnerships that build financial capability at key life stages. The Foundation will streamline its funding through two core pathways:
The Financial Futures Fund will:
• Offer multi-year strategic grants to support financial education programmes in partnership with specialist charities. Selective grants, worth up to £1m over five years, will back large-scale UK programmes that deliver financial education to various priority groups at key life moments, and can be applied for via an expression of interest form.
• Support the launch of a volunteer-led Financial Education in Schools initiative, developed with Money Ready, to deliver curriculum-aligned financial education to primary, secondary, and sixth form students from the 2026/27 academic year. The programme will offer structured lessons and comprehensive volunteer training, and Quilter’s network and national financial advisers and employees will support delivery.
The Brighter Together Fund will:
• Act as an evolution of the Quilter Foundation’s successful Local Community Fund, which has supported 66 charities since its launch in 2021, awarding grants totalling £519,000.
• Brighter Together Foundation grants of up to £5,000 will distribute funds raised by Quilter employees and advisers to trusted local organisations, enabling tailored, impactful support to communities where it’s needed most.
• Brighter Together Growth grants will offer existing grant recipients further support of up to an annual commitment of £10,000, for three years, offering longer-term, higher-level funding.