The People's Operator Foundation
Initial plans were for 25% of any TPO profit to have gone to The People's Operator Foundation, which was an independent group that would have funded charities and community groups in the UK. However, the company has never been profitable, and the Foundation was dissolved at the end of 2014.[26] TPO Foundation was a registered charity, and as of 2012 the trustees were Sir Christopher Kelly (chair), Kevin Curley, and (the now deceased) Andrew Rosenfeld.
In addition, customers could optionally designate 10% of the amount they spend on calls, texts and data (pre-VAT) to a specific charity or community group. 10% of all their employees' spend went to good causes in this way in 2013.[27] However, according to company filings, less than 3.8% of gross income (not 10% as advertised) was actually distributed to nominated causes.[28] This is likely due to a $50 minimum threshold for any charity to receive a disbursement.[29]
Organisations that sign up new customers to TPO also may receive 10% of the customer's call, text and data spend. In order to maintain price competitiveness with other networks, this 10% was to have come from TPO's marketing budget.
TPO established partnerships with NSPCC, The Trussell Trust, Dimbleby Cancer Care and Childline prior to its launch, and by April 2013 it had partnered with the Children’s Heart Foundation, RE:generate and Caxton House, and was planning a partnership with The Big Issue Foundation. In September 2013, the Labour Party also announced a partnership with TPO; according to Wired UK, party members are encouraged to "sign up to the mobile operator in order to give 10 percent of their bill back to the party." Unite the Union, a British and Irish trade union, has a similar TPO partnership.[30] As of January 2014 TPO had also partnered with Islington Giving, and Wales hopes that the foundation will also support Wikipedia in the future.
