INTRODUCTION

Origins

Joseph Rowntree was a Quaker businessman with a lifelong concern for the alleviation of poverty and the other great social ills of his day. He made a considerable fortune from the chocolate company which bore his name, and in 1904 transferred a large part of this wealth to three trusts, each designed to reflect and develop different aspects of his thinking about contemporary social problems. All three continue to build upon Joseph's original vision, applying it in their different ways to the problems of present-day society, but they have always been separately administered and are totally independent of each other.

A Different Kind of Trust

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust differs from the other "Rowntree Trusts", and from almost every other trust in the UK, in that it is not a charity. Charities must not have political objectives. They may engage in political activity in pursuit of their charitable aims, but those aims must not in themselves be political.

By contrast, the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust is a limited company which pays tax on its income. It is therefore free to give grants for political purposes; to promote political reform and constitutional change as well as the interests of social justice. It does so by funding campaigning organisations and individuals who have reform as their objective, and since it remains one of the very few sources of funds of any significance in the UK which can do this, it reserves its support for those projects which are ineligible for charitable funding.

Aims

The Trust's principal concern is the continuity of reform within the democratic system. It seeks to foster creative intervention by anticipating and brokering change within the body politic - identifying the points where the minimum amount of thrust will have the maximum effect when directed as accurately and efficiently as possible. Always aiming for good value from the projects it supports, the Trust looks for those ideas whose time has come, or is about to come, and offers small amounts of money (as well as sometimes quite large amounts) at the moment when it judges that the most positive results can be achieved.

The Trust aims to correct imbalances of power, strengthening the hand of individuals, groups and organisations who are striving for reform. It rarely funds projects outside the UK, directing most of its resources towards campaigning activity in this country, and it will not fund research or any other charitable activity.

The Trust is not committed to the policies of any one political party, and has supported individual politicians or groups promoting new ideas and policies from all the major parties in the UK. Grants are not normally given towards the administrative or other core costs of party organisations. Direct party support has, however, been given when the Directors have judged that particular political developments should be fostered, especially those central to a healthy democratic process such as constitutional and electoral reform. In general, the Trust's political grants aim to encourage a positive exchange of views and ideas amongst those involved in the political process, to redress the balance of financial inequality between the parties and to stimulate radical change.

The Trust has also helped a large number of non-party pressure groups and other organisations which cannot seek charitable funding, but which need assistance for particular purposes in the short term (the Trust will not normally provide long-term funding). Such groups need not all be national organisations, but the national relevance of local campaigns is a crucial factor that Directors will consider. Lastly, the Trust operates a personal awards scheme which enables it to support a limited number of effective individuals. Such awards are made at the Trust's discretion, and cannot be directly applied for by potential recipients.

Spending Power

Although the original endowment was in company shares, The Reform Trust's assets are invested in equity investments, mainly by way of investment trusts, and a limited amount of property.

From the Trust's present capital of about £40m, Directors allocate a potential grant budget of around £1m each year, excluding administrative expenses and tax. Directors also have the power to spend capital to boost grant expenditure if the need arises.

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