Community
The Foundation brings most of the Group’s charitable activities under one umbrella. So far, the Watches of Switzerland Group has committed a total of £8.3 million in donations to support three pillars: the prevention or relief of poverty; the advancement of education; and the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
charities we support
THE KING'S TRUST
The King’s Trust is a UK-based charity founded by King Charles III to support young people aged 11 to 30 who are facing adversity. Through education, employment, entrepreneurship, and personal development programmes, the charity empowers young people to build confidence, gain skills, and transform their lives.
The partnership between The King’s Trust, and The Foundation reached a new level this year following a number of initiatives and events. We have proudly supported The King’s Trust through mentoring sessions, career inspiration days, and global fundraising initiatives.
Highlights included the Future Steps challenge, raising £52,000, and headline sponsorship of the Change a Girl’s Life campaign, empowering young women into work. We also supported the Enterprise Challenge in the UK and US, helping young people develop life and business skills. Across both sides of the Atlantic, our colleagues, clients, and brand partners united to create meaningful opportunities for the next generation.
CRISIS
Crisis is a national UK charity for people experiencing homelessness. Our partnership with Crisis started in 2021 and we continue to focus on the recruitment of clinical psychologists with the aim of ending homelessness and increasing social mobility. The psychologists provide intensive one-to-one specialist support to members covering a range of mental health issues. In addition, over the past three years, we have supported Crisis at Christmas, providing homeless guests with somewhere safe to stay over the festive period.
THE FOOD BANK PROGRAMME UK
Our partnership with The Trussell Trust helps fund their Hardship Helpline, which offers compassionate guidance to people facing financial challenges. The helpline connects individuals with practical support, helping them navigate difficult circumstances with dignity.
We’ve built strong relationships with Leicester South Foodbank and Newcastle Foodbank, helping to expand their reach and improve facilities. This includes establishing a distribution centre and community hub in Leicester and enhancing infrastructure and storage capacity in Newcastle to meet increasing demand.
Across both regions, our colleagues have also been actively involved—volunteering their time to pack food parcels and offering practical skills to support food bank operations. Together, we’re working to build stronger, more resilient communities.
FEEDING SOUTH FLORIDA
Feeding South Florida is a member of the Feeding America nationwide network of foodbanks. Feeding South Florida supports 25% of the food insecure population in South Florida and the Foundation has partnered with this charity since 2022. The Foundation’s donations since 2022 have created a huge impact in the local community by providing emergency food assistance and advice, training and support. More specifically, over 310,000 meals have been provided to local people who are experiencing food insecurity as a result of the Foundation’s donation.
Our Foundation regularly brings UK and US food banks together to learn from each other and Feeding South Florida shares its innovative approach through its access to national food donor partnerships, landmark research and innovative technology and leading local food distribution and programmatic efforts.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Habitat for Humanity works together with families, local communities, volunteers and partners from around the world so that more people are able to live in affordable and safe homes.
This charity partner provides Watches of Switzerland colleagues with enriching volunteering options as colleagues help to build homes for people in need. Habitat for Humanity responded promptly to hurricanes Helene and Milton this year as out of their 150 affiliate buildings, 48 suffered damage and needed recovery support. Following a request, the Foundation Trustees agreed to re-direct funds from the Foundation’s previous donation to Habitat for Humanity to support repair and rebuild initiatives.
CAFÉ JOYEUX
The mission of Cafe Joyeux is to change the lives for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through education, training and meaningful employment. Our donation of $50,000 this year has supported a vocational training programme for new cafe employees, boosting their skills and confidence through education and employment.
We proudly serve Cafe Joyeux coffee at our Sunrise Corporate office, supporting their mission and turning every cup into an opportunity to promote inclusion, dignity and meaningful employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
