Pepper Foundation

The Pepper Foundation, established in 1993 by Robert Breakwell in memory of his late wife Karen and inspired by Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, is a dedicated charity ensuring children and young people up to age 19 with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire receive high-quality hospice care at home, free of financial barriers. Its mission emphasizes improving quality of life through compassionate, dignified, and respectful family-centred care, enabling children to stay surrounded by loved ones. Distinctive for its unwavering three-decade focus on home-based palliative support, the foundation partners exclusively with Keech Hospice and Helen & Douglas House, funding seven specialist nurses for 24/7 on-call services, symptom management, end-of-life care, and emotional support for up to 50 families at any time.

It prioritizes relief of sickness and care for the terminally ill, targeting families facing complex needs like cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, and rare genetic disorders. Supported activities include the Pepper Play Service for therapeutic play, free family outings, and community events to foster wellbeing and bereavement support, with secondary emphasis on poverty relief. All services are needs-led, holistic, and delivered directly in the home.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; funding is managed internally by a volunteer trustee board and directed solely to these partners within Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire—no external grants, capital projects, unrestricted support, or capacity building for other organizations. There are no deadlines, income/size requirements, or typical grant ranges for outsiders, as all resources aggregate for commissioned service delivery. Charities or projects outside this strict geographic and thematic remit will not qualify, setting Pepper apart as a uniquely regional enabler of children's home hospice care.