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Garfield Weston Foundation

Pilotlight has partnered with Garfield Weston Foundation for more than 10 years to address the lack of support available to charities outside of London and the South of England.

Long term partnership

In 2014 Pilotlight partnered with the Garfield Weston Foundation to establish the Weston Charity Awards, offering exclusive support to charities across the North of England, the Midlands and Wales.

Combining an unrestricted grant of £6,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation and a year of strategic mentoring through our Pilotlight 360 programme, the Awards focus on helping charities build their impact and fundraising capabilities.

GWF
189 charities

As of February 2026, the Weston Charity Awards has supported more than 180 charities.

World-class support

For charity leaders whose organisation received the award and Pilotlight 360 support package, our Net Promoter Score (which measures how likely our charity partners are to recommend applying) is 87 – indicative of a world-class service.

910
Charity leaders whose organisation received the award said they would recommend applying.
Stats
Of charity leaders say the Pilotlight 360 programme has a major positive impact on strategic vision.
Growth
Charities who participate in our Pilotlight 360 programme increase their income by an average of 48% (two years after working with us).
Weston-Charity-Awards-2025-1144

What is Pilotlight 360?

Explore the programme

Pilotlight 360 is an intensive 8 month programme bringing together charity leaders and expert business partners.

Through focused exploration and expert coaching, the business experts share their skills to help charities address pressing challenges and strengthen their strategy and governance. In tandem, the business experts develop their professional skills while creating a positive, direct impact.

  • Charities who participate in our Pilotlight 360 programme increase their income by an average of 48% (two years after working with us).

  • Nine out of 10 charity leaders say the Pilotlight 360 programme has a major positive impact on strategic vision.

<p>Contact us to find out more</p>

 

Awards with real-world impact

Results from our 2024 impact report found that:

effective leadership
Of participating charities had more effective leadership.
operationally fit
Of participating charities felt more operationally fit.
deliver impact
Of participating charities were better able to deliver impact.

“I felt that I had gained the skills I needed to take our organisation forward - we've tripled in size since our year with Pilotlight.”

- Charity Leader on participating in the Weston Charity Awards winners programme

 

Leadership development

The report also identified significant benefits to charity leaders:

94%
Of participating charity leaders felt better equipped for success.
Stats
Of participating charity leaders felt they were more effective.
90
Of participating leaders felt more resilient.

Want to learn more?

Reach out to the team to discover how we can support you.

Find out more