Julia Rausing Trust

Julia Rausing Trust has awarded an £830,000 grant to 20/20 Levels, a leading youth empowerment charity, to fund life-changing programmes as part of a continued partnership now entering its second year. This significant investment will enable the organisation to continue its mission and expand its reach in supporting young people from underrepresented communities to unlock their potential and thrive in their careers and businesses. The grant will directly fund initiatives such as the I Am Change and Levels programmes, which focus on equipping participants aged 18 - 30 with the skills, confidence, and networks needed to overcome barriers to social mobility. Through workshops, mentoring, and practical training, these programmes aim to bridge the gap between ambition and achievement, fostering a new generation of leaders and changemakers. Duro Oye, CEO of 20/20 Levels, shared, “We are deeply grateful to the Julia Rausing Trust for their continued support of our mission. Moving into this second year, we’re already seeing how this funding creates tangible opportunities for young people from underrepresented communities to thrive. This partnership strengthens the foundation of 20/20 Levels and our ability to deliver innovative solutions for lasting change.” Daniel Chapman, Head of Grants at the Julia Rausing Trust, said: “We are pleased to be supporting 2020 Levels, an impactful charity that builds strong connections between disadvantaged communities and the corporate world. It is a win-win situation – young people can benefit from opportunities that they otherwise would struggle to access, while businesses benefit from the dynamism and determination that these young individuals bring.” Read more about the Julia Rausing Trust’s grant to 20/20 Levels here: https://lnkd.in/eNXGEFNg

It’s #WorldBookDay! Julia Rausing Trust is delighted to support World Book Day Charity by placing World Book Day Books into rural libraries in areas of high deprivation, low literacy, and with limited access to book retailers. We hope to encourage reading for pleasure, enabling communities to use and enjoy their library spaces, and make risk-free choices around reading.   World Book Day’s mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. Reading for enjoyment is so important for children and young people, and this year, World Book Day is championing children’s reading choices, encouraging all children to #ReadYourWay.

Julia Rausing Trust is pleased to announce a £2 million grant to Exeter Cathedral to support its 2020s Development Project. The funding aims to bring a major boost to the project, enabling the cathedral to meet rising material costs and complete its current phase of building improvements and conservation. Now in its third year, the 2020’s Development Project is one of the driving forces behind Exeter Cathedral’s initiative to make the ancient building more accessible and welcoming for a wider range of visitors. Further construction is underway on a new exhibition space designed to safely display the cathedral’s internationally-significant Library and Archive collections, whilst in the main cathedral building, energy-efficient heating, lighting and sound systems are being upgraded. Simon Fourmy, Director of the Julia Rausing Trust, said the development project at Exeter Cathedral would allow the building to better engage local communities and also support the wider visitor economy in Devon. He added: “We continue to honour Julia’s legacy through the Julia Rausing Trust and this grant is a good example of projects we have supported in her memory. The protection and celebration of the country’s beautiful and inspiring built heritage has long been an important part of our work. The project at Exeter Cathedral will be transformative, improving access and engagement so that many more people may enjoy this magnificent building.” As The Very Reverend Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter, concludes, the funding boost from the Julia Rausing Trust means that the cathedral can continue this work with renewed confidence: “We have been excited and relieved to receive this tremendous grant from the Julia Rausing Trust. Not only has it has helped us to close the funding gap on our current Development Project; it has also given the Cathedral Chapter the confidence to think about the next phase of the project – extending current plans to incorporate the nave of the cathedral, and some of the ancillary buildings nearby. So, we are truly grateful for this transformational gift.” Read more about the Julia Rausing Trust’s grant for Exeter Cathedral here: https://lnkd.in/ej2ssMGd

Through the support of the Julia Rausing Trust, the PANDAS Foundation UK (Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support), a leading UK perinatal mental health charity, is rolling out new free support group openings in Leytonstone, East London, for parents and carers struggling with their mental health.   From 28th February, parents and carers will be able to access a free face-to-face group that will support them in their mental health, from conception through to birth and beyond.   The group aims to make sure no parent, family or carer feels alone. The charity have a variety of support services available to ensure help is delivered in a way that is right for everyone.   Find out more about the PANDAS Foundation here: https://lnkd.in/eM9rKGu

Julia Rausing Trust congratulates MediCinema for the wonderful achievement of winning a BAFTA for ‘Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema’. The award will be presented at the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards’ ceremony, taking place on February 16th, and comes in MediCinema’s 25th year of providing transformative cinema services to patients in the NHS.   Read more about MediCinema’s achievement and the work that they do here: https://lnkd.in/eVuTRqkD

The decline in young people's mental health is unacceptable. It's one of the biggest health, social and economic challenges of our time. That's why we're supporting Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC), Centre for Mental Health, Centre for Young Lives, YoungMinds, and Prudence Trust's #FutureMindsCampaign, calling for immediate and scalable action. We support the Campaign’s calls for: 👉Increased investment in children and young people's mental health 👉The full roll out of Mental Health Support Teams by the end of this Parliament 👉Open access mental health services in every community 👉A comprehensive children and young people’s workforce plan 👉A review into the causes of the rise in prevalence in children and young people’s mental health 👉Increased council funding to support investment in prevention and early intervention Read more here: https://lnkd.in/efviqkby

The National Gallery announced last week the programme and spaces on offer to all as part of the brand new Roden Centre for Creative Learning. The Centre is one of the largest dedicated gallery learning spaces in the UK, and we are delighted to support The Creative Space on the upper floor of the Centre, aimed at enabling sensory learning for everyone, with particular focus on special needs schools. Alongside The Creative Space will be the Welcome Space, the Clore Art Studio, and the Social Space. Open to the public on Friday 28th February, the Roden Centre for Creative Learning is the first part of the Gallery’s Bicentenary suite of capital projects to welcome visitors, programming free activities for children, families, schools and young people and both free and ticketed events and courses for adults. The transformed Centre will enable the National Gallery to engage with an additional 50,000 learners annually, resulting in 246,000 learners benefiting from the learning programme in total each year. Sir Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, said: ‘We have understood the importance of an arts education for all for a very long time. What better time to be opening the doors to a creative learning centre, that prioritises inclusion and making our world class collection accessible to everyone, than when it is being given rightful prominence in the national conversation? We look forward to many people discovering the Gallery through The Roden Centre for Creative Learning for generations to come, and to being a part of many dialogues around the delights and benefits of an arts-enriched life. We express our deepest thanks to Stuart and Bianca Roden and the other funders for their support of our vision for this Centre.’ Read more about the new Roden Centre for Creative Learning here: https://lnkd.in/eR8V_whq

Julia Rausing Trust is pleased to announce it has made £5.4 million in grants as part of its annual seasonal giving campaign this winter. A total of 72 charities have been selected across the country providing support to homelessness, financial hardship and charities working with women and children in need. This year the Trust also made an emphasis on charities supporting their local communities with 64 of the 72 grants made to regional causes in Gloucestershire, east Cheshire and London. The largest grants include Buttle UK’s Chances for Children Grant Programme, Women's Aid Federation of England’s Emergency Fund for Survivors, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity’s Vicar’s Relief Fund, and Comic Relief’s A place to Call Home Appeal with the Evening Standard. Simon Fourmy, Director of the Julia Rausing Trust said, “Helping the vulnerable and homeless was always an important part of Julia Rausing’s giving, especially in the winter months when need is particularly acute. This year marks the largest Christmas series of grants made by the Trust with 72 charities selected across the country with an emphasis on providing support to local communities.” “The 2024 Christmas seasonal giving is now in its sixth consecutive year and we are pleased to continue this campaign through the new Trust bearing Julia Rausing’s name.” Analiese Doctrove, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Buttle UK said, "We are incredibly grateful to the Julia Rausing Trust for their generous gift of £1.5 million towards our Chances for Children grants programme. This funding will enable us to continue providing vital support to children and young people facing poverty and crisis across the UK. By empowering vulnerable families with the resources they need to rebuild their lives, we are not only alleviating immediate hardship but also creating pathways to long-term stability and opportunity. The Julia Rausing Trust’s commitment to supporting this work will have a lasting impact, helping us reach more children in need and drive meaningful change for future generations." See the full list of selected charities here: https://lnkd.in/efWZZJ8F

Julia Rausing Trust is delighted to announce a £5 million donation to Age UK to help fund the Charity’s crucial friendship services over the next two years, aiming to tackle loneliness amongst older people and help them feel more valued and included. This £5 million ‘gift of friendship’ donation will enable the Charity to answer more than 58,000 calls to its Silver Line Helpline, match over 3,100 older people with Age UK befrienders to receive weekly calls through the Charity’s national Telephone Friendship Service, and fund community-based befriending programmes delivered by 20 local Age UK’s across the country. The Silver Line Helpline, founded by Dame Esther Rantzen and now part of Age UK, is free and available 24 hours a day for any older person who would like a friendly chat. While 95% of Age UK’s current Telephone Friendship Service users say that they feel a little or a lot less lonely thanks to their friendship calls, demand for Age UK’s friendship services is increasing, and the local Age UK network’s capacity to deliver befriending and loneliness interventions is already at a tipping point. This grant from the Julia Rausing Trust will support Age UK to sustain and grow its befriending services to meet demand today and into the future, helping thousands of older people who are feeling lonely. Commenting on the grant, Simon Fourmy, Director, Julia Rausing Trust, said: “Julia Rausing Trust is pleased to support Age UK’s friendship services. Julia Rausing encouraged people to use Christmas as a time to help those alone and in need, as she did during her lifetime through her grant-giving. We know through previous collaboration that Age UK’s friendship services provide meaningful support across the country at this time of year which is why we have chosen to make this grant in her name.” Paul Farmer, CEO of Age UK, said: “Too many older people across the country spend their days in silence, wishing that the phone will ring or that someone will ask how they are. Julia Rausing Trust’s exceedingly generous donation to Age UK, in memory of the late British philanthropist, will help Age UK provide the invaluable gift of friendship and social connectivity to tens of thousands of older people – many of whom have nowhere else to turn for support. Every day, Age UK’s Silver Line Helpline, Telephone Friendship Service and network of Local Age UK’s provide a lifeline to so many older people, and this donation will help us ensure that these crucial services are able to continue meeting the ever-increasing demand we are facing.” Dame Esther Rantzen, founder of The Silver Line Helpline said: “Thank you so much for your wonderful, generous support. The Julia Rausing Trust's support will transform the lives of many thousands of vulnerable and lonely older people. On behalf of everyone at Age UK, but in particular those older people and all our volunteers and staff in The Silver Line’s friendship services, thank you so much."

Julia Rausing Trust is pleased to announce £16.7 million in heritage grants across the UK. The funding includes £6.2 million to cathedrals, £6.2 million to botanic gardens and £4.3 million to museums and galleries. The grants will enable crucial repair and refurbishment works to English cathedrals and botanical gardens across England, Wales and Scotland. Funding for museums and galleries will support strategic programme delivery that will benefit smaller regional museums. Among seven cathedrals receiving support is York Minster, where a grant of £500,000 has been made to complete the fundraising campaign for the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills and Estate Management. It will also enable conservation and protection of three important windows in the South Transept to be undertaken, as well as analysis of the iconic Rose Window, which was last repaired following a 1984 fire. Botanic gardens across the UK received grants towards a range of projects, including repair of historic glasshouses, access and interpretation. As part of this, a £2 million grant has been made to Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) towards its £19 million restoration project to improve visitor and learning facilities. In addition to the heritage aspect, more modern facilities were also supported such as in the case of The National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW), who have been awarded £1.3 million towards technical upgrades to the mechanical infrastructure and facilities of the garden’s centrepiece, the Great Glasshouse. The grant is the total required to undertake the first phase of a two-phase plan to strengthen NBGW’s position to care for its collections in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way. Included in support for museums and galleries are a number of projects that will see the funds benefit smaller regional museums across the UK. One such grant is to The Association for Independent Museums (AIM), who will receive £600,000 for the Museum Fundamentals grant programme – distributing grants of up to £20,000 for collections care; covering documentation, research and minor improvements to buildings and environmental conditions to ensure collections are looked after. Julia Rausing Trust support will ensure AIM is able to meet rising demand from small to medium museums and enable AIM to build on its longstanding commitment to help museums conserve their collections, expand access and thrive. Selected charities also include Bristol Cathedral, Chester Cathedral, Ely Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, Manchester Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, Chelsea Physic Garden, Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Tatton Garden Society, University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum , Garden Museum, Art Fund, THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION, and Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society.