About John Good Group
John Good Group is a sixth-generation family business with three centuries of trading history. It began in the early 1800s, when founder John Good started a ship’s chandlery in what is now Hull’s old town. A ship’s captain and Quaker, he also invented safety equipment for sailors and campaigned for the wellbeing of Finnish people after the Crimean War. That spirit of doing right by people has shaped the company ever since.
Today, the Group is a PhilCo (a philanthropic company at least 10% owned by a charitable Foundation) employing more than 200 people across five UK divisions: Travel, Marine, Warehousing and Logistics, Property, and Renewables. In 2022, they won Best Social Impact at the Yorkshire & Humberside Family Awards, recognising a culture that puts people, planet and community first.
Corporate Giving led by Employees
The Matthew Good Foundation has managed John Good Group’s employee giving programme since 2011. Together, we’ve built a bespoke programme that gets employees directly involved, through voting, volunteering and nominating causes that matter to them. As a result, the majority of funds go directly to small, grassroots charities.
For John Good Group, the impact goes both ways. The company reports that the programme strengthens its ESG commitments and helps attract and retain talent. It also gives employees a tangible way to see the business’s values in action.
2024 At a Glance
Awarded through Grants for Good
Awarded through the Employee Giving Programme
Employee volunteering hours completed
In Their Words
“The John Good Group is a unique family business deeply committed to its social impact. We’re one of only a few organisations whose whole purpose is directly aligned with delivering additional profit into charitable endeavours. By putting real funding decisions in the hands of John Good Group colleagues and focusing on smaller, high impact charities, we’ve built a programme that our teams feel they own. That ownership has translated into support for hundreds of grassroots organisations, with each receiving unrestricted funding – the lifeblood of small charities. It’s no coincidence that as employee engagement in Grants for Good has grown, so has the scale and reach of our giving. I’m excited to see the Matthew Good Foundation take this model into other businesses that want their social impact to feel just as personal and meaningful for their employees”
How the Programme Works
Grants for Good
The John Good Group partner with Matthew Good Foundation’s Grants for Good programme to ensure a certain amount of their charitable giving goes to micro-charities. Every quarter, £15,000 is shared between five shortlisted charities – £60,000 a year in total. Charities are chosen from across the UK, spanning a wide range of activities that benefit people and planet. Employees then vote to decide how the funding is split, giving small charities both unrestricted financial support and a wider platform.
John Good Group’s latest Grants for Good Recipients
The Mastectomy Tattooing Alliance
The Mastectomy Tattooing Alliance supports people recovering from breast cancer, BRCA-related surgery, or gender-affirming surgery. Founded by tattoo artist Tanya Buxton in Cheltenham 2021, MTA helps people access high-quality areola and mastectomy tattoos. It does this through a voucher scheme and a growing network of vetted artists across the
The MoneyHeave Community Project
The MoneyHeave Community Project is a grassroots organisation helping young adults and underrepresented communities take control of their finances. Founded by finance professional Roneish Myers, MoneyHeave runs practical workshops on budgeting, debt and saving. These sessions build skills and confidence in places where financial advice is often out of
Recycle-IT!
Recycle-IT! is a community interest company based in Bolton, tackling digital exclusion and e-waste by collecting, refurbishing and redistributing IT equipment to people and community groups who need it most. Since launching, the organisation has diverted over 270 tonnes of e-waste from landfill, redistributed more than 3,500 devices, and
Otterhead Estate Trust
Otterhead is an off-grid nature reserve on the Somerset/Devon border, south of Taunton, freely open to the public. The Otterhead Estate Trust manages much of the site, maximising biodiversity and wildlife habitats, while restoring heritage features. The Forest School, based at the Coach House, supports children with complex needs.
YOPEY
YOPEY is a small charity in the East of England that tackles two problems at once: loneliness among care home residents living with dementia, and negative stereotypes of teenagers. It trains young volunteers aged 14 to 19 to visit residents weekly, offering conversation, music and shared activities. Residents build
Emmie’s Kitchen
Emmie's Kitchen supports parents and carers of seriously ill children at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Founded from lived experience, the charity provides free meals, snack bags, and wellbeing sessions to families facing some of the hardest moments of their lives. With around 100 meals and 80 snack bags delivered
Billy & Beyond
Billy & Beyond CIC delivers free drug education workshops in schools, youth groups, and community settings. Founded after the tragic loss of Billy Mullin in 2020, the organisation educates young people about the real risks of recreational drug use. Through interactive sessions, real-life stories, and a powerful animated film,
Kinship Carers
Kinship Carers is a national charity supporting families where children are raised by relatives or close family friends instead of their parents. Operating UK-wide, the charity provides practical advice, emotional support, advocacy and peer connection to kinship carers navigating complex legal, financial and social care systems. Kinship care is
Wild Plant Paper
Wild Plant Paper CIC is a Wales-based social enterprise making handmade paper. Founded by botanist Dr Bryan Collis, they turn invasive weeds and waste materials into beautiful handmade paper, while creating flexible, inclusive work and volunteering opportunities for people excluded from traditional employment. From their converted shipping container studio
Breaker Breaker
Lorry drivers and transport workers keep the country moving, yet for many the road is hard and lonely, and too often they reach crisis point before asking for help. Breaker Breaker is a mental health charity in Northern Ireland dedicated to the haulage industry, founded after Leanne Lyons lost
Employee Giving Programme
Champion Grants
Employees can nominate small charities, local initiatives and projects with under £1.5m annual income for a £500 grant. If they’re directly involved with the project as a volunteer, this rises to £1,000.
Double Match
A double match triples the value of any charitable fundraising by an employee or their immediate family. Every £1 raised becomes £3 for the charity.
Donation Match
A donation match doubles employees’ personal donations pound-for-pound. Every pound they donate becomes £2 for the charity.
Monthly Draw
Every month, one employee wins a £250 donation to their charity of choice.
Grassroots projects
For employees leading a cause from the ground up, the Foundation helps build a bespoke funding package with John Good Group.
Employee Volunteering Programme
Every employee at John Good Group gets one paid day a year to volunteer for a cause they care about. They can take this as a team, in small groups, or individually, and can even split the day into half-days or hour-long micro-volunteering sessions. The Foundation team often co-ordinates these sessions, though the programme stays flexible, so employees get the most benefit.
John Good Group also offers pro-bono support in areas like trusteeship, mentoring, marketing and IT. The Foundation often makes these connections happen.
Latest News from John Good Group
Grants for Good: An Employee Giving Programme Your Team Will Actually Love
We surveyed over 100 employees across the John Good Group about Grants for Good – and the results speak for themselves. From genuine discovery to a 9.3 out of 10 recommendation score, here’s what staff really think, and why it might be worth bringing to your own business.
Grants for Good: John Good Group Awards £15,000 to Five Small Charities
Discover the latest Grants for Good winners! £15,000 in small charity grants awarded to UK non-profits making a real impact in 2026.
Grants for Good 2026: First Five Small Charity Grants Awarded by John Good Group
Discover the latest Grants for Good winners! £15,000 in small charity grants awarded to UK non-profits making a real impact in 2026.