- Cris Contra el Cáncer, UpReach, Generation UK & Ireland and Rape Crisis South London join the Permira Foundation’s 2026-27 Spark Fund
- The Permira Foundation’s Spark Fund, first launched in 2025, provides catalytic funding and pro bono support to high-impact, locally rooted non-profits
- The fund, that sits alongside the Permira Foundation’s Growth Fund, will support a global portfolio of 28 organisations across education, employment and health
London, 3 June 2026 – The Permira Foundation, the foundation funded and incubated by global investment firm Permira, today announced that CRIS Contra el Cáncer, UpReach, Generation UK & Ireland and Rape Crisis South London have joined its Spark Fund alongside 24 existing, high-impact non-profit partners.
Launched in 2025, the Permira Foundation's Spark Fund provides funding and tailored pro bono support from Permira teams to high-impact non-profits, drawing on the firm's expertise, networks and resources. The Fund supports locally rooted organisations at pivotal moments in their development, providing strategic guidance and capacity-building support to help deepen their impact, strengthen their organisations and deliver meaningful outcomes for the communities they serve.
CRIS Contra el Cáncer, an international charity based primarily in Spain, is dedicated to facilitating and developing cutting-edge cancer research and ensuring patient access to novel treatments. In the UK, UpReach works to remove socio-economic barriers to employment for young people by providing initiatives to help individuals succeed in graduate roles and beyond, while Generation UK & Ireland focuses on improving employability outcomes for young people and adults through skills training and job placement programmes. Rape Crisis South London provides specialist services for women and girls who have experienced rape or childhood sexual abuse, including confidential support, counselling, legal advocacy and crisis intervention. Each organisation has been selected based on its proven track record of delivering meaningful impact and the significant potential to build a strong partnership drawing on Permira’s expertise, networks and resources to help achieve their ambitions.
The Spark Fund's current cohort of partners spans three geographies:
United States: CASA NYC, Compass Family Services, DREAM, Minds Matter Bay Area, Minds Matter New York City, Opportunity Network, Point Foundation, Tampa Bay Diaper Bank, The Arc Tampa Bay Foundation, The Bowery Mission and Upwardly Global.
UK & Guernsey: Alzheimer's Society, Autism Guernsey, Big Issue Recruit, Generation UK & Ireland, Magic Breakfast, Rape Crisis South London, Smart Works, Speech and Language UK, The Childhood Trust and UpReach.
Europe: CRIS Contra el Cáncer (Spain), Fondazione Asino (Italy), Fondazione Progetto Arca (Italy), Fundación Balia (Spain), RYSE (Luxembourg), Stiftung Wegelichter (Germany) and UNHCR UNICORE Project (Italy).
Katie Rose, Executive Director of the Permira Foundation, said: “We are proud to support high-impact organisations at an inflection point through the Permira Foundation’s Spark Fund, providing catalytic funding alongside the expertise of Permira and our network. We are delighted to welcome CRIS Contra el Cáncer, UpReach, Generation UK & Ireland and Rape Crisis South London to the Spark Fund and look forward to working closely with their CEOs and teams to help scale their impact.”
Permira Foundation’s Spark Fund complements its Growth Fund, which exists to support partners over the long term as they navigate ambitious growth journeys. Together, the two funds enable the Permira Foundation to support organisations at different stages of development, building a global portfolio of partners and delivering deeper, more sustainable social impact.
