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Investing in people and communities

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Across many communities today, there is a growing need for people who can work across difference, build trust, and act together on the challenges they face. At the same time, there is a real opportunity to strengthen the connections between people, organisations, and sectors to make this possible.

For almost 40 years, Common Purpose has worked in response to this need.

We bring people together across boundaries of culture, sector, and background to develop leaders who can work across difference, build understanding, and take action in the places they live and work.

We work across the public, private, and non-profit sectors to create connections that last well beyond our programmes, strengthening leadership and collaboration where it is most needed.

As a charity, we rely on philanthropic support to continue this work. Unrestricted donations allow us to invest where the need and opportunity are greatest and respond to emerging challenges. We invite individuals, companies, trusts, foundations, and legacy donors to get in touch to explore how they can support the investment needed in the next generation of leaders.

Foundations we have worked with/are working with:

Temasek Foundation

The Chicago Community Trust

MacArthur Foundation

American Express Foundation

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Partners for a New Economy

Anna Lindh Foundation

Field Foundation

Westpac Scholars Trust

ASEAN Foundation

YES Foundation

A.T.E Chandra Foundation

Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies

Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development

Tsao Pao Chee/ No.17 Foundation

Anglo American Foundation

MAVA Foundation

European Institute of Innovation and Technology

Asfari Foundation

35+

years of impact

20k

organizations worked with

143k

alumni

6k

participants in 2025

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Paul Polman
Co-Founder and Chair Emeritus, Imagine & Former CEO, Unilever
"Common Purpose is truly unique in that it focuses on the leadership behaviours that will make this world a better place, for people, organizations and society."
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André Hoffmann
Former President, MAVA Fondation pour la Nature
"I cannot stress how profound participants of all generations found their experience with Common Purpose – its impact went well beyond the individual level, transforming whole organizations and boosting conservation impact on the ground. We could not have hoped for more."

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If you would like to learn more, please contact us

Supporting Common Purpose offers many opportunities to use your philanthropy to affect lasting and positive change in how people and communities function at individual, local and societal levels.

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Our values

At Common Purpose, we bring our values to life through our people and our culture. We are:

Boundary Pushers

We strive to be and do better, staying curious and challenging the accepted norms, daring to be bold and distinctive, while striding ahead with grit and purpose.

Bridge Builders

We are diverse, equitable, people first, champions of difference; bringing people together through networks
and collaborations, so they can lead differently.

Change Champions

We are agile and innovative catalysts, working sustainably to improve the lives, organizations and communities of others so they can make a difference that creates lasting value and equitable impact.

Rooted Big Dreamers

We have big ideas, always with our feet on the ground but eyes on the stars. Always evolving with the future in mind
and in the process make complex things feel simpler.

Our Purpose

Discover what drives us

Our purpose

Charitable status

The Common Purpose Charitable Trust was established as a charity in 1989. It is registered with the Charity Commission under the Registered Charity number 1023384.

The Common Purpose Charitable Trust and Common Purpose UK charitable objects are described in its governing document as: 

"the advancement of education for the public benefit and in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing to educate people, from a broad range of geographical, political, ethnic, institutional, social and economic backgrounds in constitutional, civic, economic and social studies with special emphasis on civil and social awareness and responsibility in the United Kingdom and elsewhere". 

You can view our entry on the UK Charity Commission website's Register of Charities.