July 2026

Dear Pharo Family and Friends,

July already. Somehow, we are halfway through the year!

At the halfway point, it is worth reviewing and reminding ourselves of the five global strategic objectives we set ourselves for 2026. They were deliberately ambitious: to maximise the impact of every dollar we spend, build ventures that become financially self-sustaining, create a school network that can stand on its own feet, strengthen the operational excellence that underpins everything we do, and build a Pharo brand and culture that attracts great people and inspires confidence.

Six months in, these remain exactly the right priorities. Measured against them, the first half of the year has been mixed, and that’s okay, provided we’re honest about it.

For the second half of the year, my ask of our team is simple. The research engine that drives our future projects is working well, and we have time before we need to bring new proposals forward, which means those proposals will be better researched and more impactful. So for now, within the Foundation, our focus is on making the work already in front of us exceptional. We know our priorities, and we know where to focus. Internally, that means co-creating rather than imposing, listening to one another more, and spending more time alongside the colleagues and communities closest to the work. It means using each other’s time wisely: coming prepared, keeping meetings short and disciplined, and following through on the decisions we make. Externally, it means working on meaningful relationships with partners, engaging with our stakeholders and listening to those we can learn from as an organisation.

Above all, this mid-year reflection means remembering how fortunate we are to work on problems that matter, with such talented colleagues, in communities where the impact we help drive can be so profound. That is a privilege we never want to lose sight of, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so proud of the Foundation teams.

Thank you to everyone across Pharo, to our colleagues, but also to all our partners, friends, and everyone else who has followed along our journey. It’s been a bit rocky these first six months, but we enter the second half stronger and more unified. We’re using this half-year mark to reset around our objectives, sharpen our priorities, and move forward with more discipline, more humility, and more energy.

Kind regards, Tom Mason CEO, Pharo Foundation