Letter from the Trustees

In 2025, Oak Foundation made grants totalling USD 383 million to 336 organisations based in 33 countries around the world.

Some of this year’s grantee highlights include the following:

Our Environment Programme tells the story of how grantees are turning cutting-edge technology into a force for good. By combining satellite imagery with GPS data from f ishing vessels, they’ve created a groundbreaking global snapshot of maritime activity – giving countries the tools they need to protect natural resources. We hope this will help ensure that marine life can regenerate and coastal communities can depend on healthy, sustainable ecosystems.

In Scotland, our Housing and Homelessness Programme‘s grantees are championing the right to a secure and affordable home for everyone. Grantees provide vital legal support that helps people stay in their homes and access essential services. In addition, grantees informed Edinburgh City Council’s decision to invest tourist tax revenue into council housing, creating real and lasting change for communities. Our International Human Rights Programme’s grantee, Fundo Brasil, is collaborating with the Brazilian Government so that families that have been involved with the judicial system can stay together. The results speak volumes: mothers can stay home with their children while awaiting trial; reports of torture are falling; people are able to stay working or studying while awaiting trial; and custody hearings have resulted in the release of nearly 820,000 people.

Our Issues Affecting Women Programme’s grantees in Mexico are driving change in both urban and rural communities – helping to reshape public discourse on gender based violence, strengthen legal allowing art, craft, and small businesses in rural communities to flourish. protections, and build dependable support systems for women and girls. Their work spans from bread-making workshops that foster solidarity, to training, convenings, and technical assistance for women-led groups.

Our Learning Differences Programme’s grantees are helping transform teacher preparation in the US by linking local school systems to innovative training programmes. This ensures new teachers step into classrooms ready to teach young readers from day one. Through hands-on experience and research based instruction, trainee teachers gain practical skills that turn theory into action – so every child has the support they need to thrive.

Our Prevent Child Sexual Abuse Programme is shining a light on the urgent work of its grantees, who are helping to guide boys and young men away from destructive online spaces and toward supportive communities, mental health resources, and opportunities for real, meaningful offline connections.

In the UK, through our Special Interest Programme, we support the Trussell Trust – a network that has grown to unite over 1,400 independent food banks, where 40,000 volunteers provide emergency food with compassion, alongside advice and practical support. We also support Helpforce, a charity helping NHS trusts and community organisations nurture volunteering programmes that make healthcare more human.

Across the Atlantic in North Carolina, we have provided support to: the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project to promote strong local farms and thriving food economies; Transplanting Traditions, a farm and cultural space helping refugees thrive in their new community; and Durham Tech community college, which guides students along career pathways to break down barriers to academic success. Finally, we showcase the work of Nest, which helps craft workers across the US and globally earn sustainable livelihoods – allowing art, craft, and small businesses in rural communities to flourish.

Oak Foundation Denmark celebrates the inspiring work of NuQi – a dance organisation bringing the joy and power of movement to communities in Greenland’s most remote corners. Through dance, NuQi is creating spaces for connection, expression, and cultural pride, even in the farthest reaches of the world.

Our Zimbabwe Programme showcases grantees’ vital work – from delivering compassionate palliative care to restoring land through regenerative efforts after demining, and ensuring that children who have lost one or both parents stay connected to their communities and siblings. These initiatives bring hope, healing, and resilience to families and landscapes alike.

In 2025, we started the Global Climate Initiatives Programme, which supports practical, people f irst solutions that help communities thrive while reducing the harm caused by pollution and overuse of natural resources. The launch of the programme celebrates a powerful story of hope and resilience. In Pakistan, homes and businesses are driving one of the fastest and most unexpected clean energy transitions. Driven by households embracing rooftop solar panels, this grassroots movement is transforming the energy landscape and setting a powerful example of what is possible for the world. Each year, our annual report reminds us of the hope we feel when hearing the stories of our grantees – your dedication and impact inspire us every single day. To all our grantees: thank you for your tireless efforts to help make a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world.

The Parker Family