Pilotlight has partnered with Barclays for over 15 years, developing programmes that enhance staff skills across the country while helping charities tackle strategic challenges.
Since 2008, more than 1,000 Barclays employees have supported 200 charities addressing some of the UK's most pressing social issues. Initially focused on sponsoring senior leaders through the Pilotlight 360 programme, the partnership quickly expanded to include Pilotlight Direction and Pilotlight Insight for emerging and senior leaders, both in London and across regional offices in the UK. Through this collaboration, Barclays has successfully integrated its Learning & Development (L&D) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, offering programmes that have become key to its employee engagement strategy. In 2024 alone, Barclays supported over 20 charities through the Pilotlight Direction, Inclusive Leadership, and Brain Trust programmes, providing crucial support to the UK charity sector.
The long-standing partnership has earned recognition, with Barclays and Pilotlight being named finalists for the Long-Term Partnership Award at the 2021 Third Sector Business Charity Awards and for the Community Partners category at the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards in 2018. In 2021, we also developed a new programme called Inclusive Leadership with Barclays, to offer support exclusively to charities led by and/or supporting people from underrepresented communities. Barclays was keen to expand its Pilotlight programme offering to employees across corporate grades and divisions. This new programme saw colleagues across the business collaborate for the first time.
The guidance Pilotlight provides to both charities and business throughout its skills-sharing programmes consistently delivers greater impact than participants anticipate, with many finding the experience of giving back at a strategic level personally rewarding as well.
Rachel Murphy, VP Citizenship, Barclays
Find out more about how your business can partner with Pilotlight here.
More on the partnership
Supporting Growth Path to expand
Growth Path is a registered charity dedicated to helping young people thrive in employment in the construction industry. Its programme is specifically for young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Growth Path provides accredited entry level qualifications, work experience, and one-to-one support addressing the many barriers preventing NEET young people gaining jobs.
Setting a robust future for Just Psychology
Just Psychology’s Company Director Dr Iyabo Fatimilehin, came to Inclusive Leadership, a programme we run in partnership with Barclays, for support on how to create a sustainable business plan for growth.
Helping Cycle Sisters to develop corporate partnerships
Cycle Sisters aims to support Muslim women to cycle by creating inclusive and accessible spaces to develop cycling skills and confidence, without having to compromise cultural or religious values.
Renewed support for Croydon Mencap
Croydon Mencap supports parent carers of children and young people with any disability aged 0-25 and adults with a learning disability and their parents, carers and families. Services can range from support with mental health, loneliness, isolation and around the barrier that they face when trying to get into work.
Securing a vibrant future for South Asian Arts-uk
“This programme gave me the license to set some time aside and focus, I’m not sure if I would’ve done so otherwise. I’ve come to realise we have the seedling now and it’s time to figure out how big a pot we now need to repot it in.”
Supporting DASH to effectively track its service user journey
“Working with the Pilotlighters was a great experience not only for our organisation, but for me personally, as it provided me with the time and opportunity to sit back and look at the issue from a different perspective.”
Setting Directions
"I was really impressed with the whole process - a lot was achieved in a relatively short space of time."