December 2025

Dear Pharo Family and Friends,

November has been one of the busiest months of the year. Across the Foundation, teams have been working deep in the trenches of Planful, our new financial planning and analysis tool, to prepare budgets for 2026. With Planful, we now have a system that meets the scale of our ambition, able to plan, budget and forecast across our many operations, sectors, geographies and currencies with far greater precision.

We had the privilege of hosting Farah Fonkenell in Nairobi, who helped chart a clear path forward for the Nairobi Arts School, and held an engaging "Ask Me Anything" session with colleagues in Ethiopia. Many questions centred on Ventures, giving us the chance to explain why our businesses exist: because we believe in the power of the private sector to drive impact, and because they will ensure our offices can sustain themselves for the next thousand years of the Foundation’s life.

As we head into the final month of the year, I want to close with gratitude. I am continually impressed by how you have rallied around a new CEO and his many demands, with professionalism, warmth and an unwavering commitment to our mission. Let us carry this momentum into December and then take a well-earned break.

Onwards, Tom Mason, CEO, Pharo Foundation