The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) has published its 2024 annual report, reflecting on a year in which more than £13.8 million was distributed to organisations addressing the root causes of conflict and injustice through their charitable activities.
The report also outlines JRCT’s continued commitment to standing alongside those it funds in the years to come, while adapting to meet changing needs and challenges.
By the end of 2024, JRCT was funding 340 individuals and organisations - from small, grassroots initiatives to established national bodies. This work aligns closely with our Quaker values and our mission: to support those tackling systemic injustice and driving long-term change, whether in peacebuilding, the defence of human rights, environmental sustainability, or democratic accountability.
Jonathan Heawood, who became chair of JRCT at the end of 2024, acknowledged the increasing demand for sustainable and reliable funding. “Recognising the immense pressures facing non-profits, we remain unwavering in our commitment to standing alongside those working on the most pressing challenges facing our society."
In 2024, JRCT prioritised stability for its grant-holders by maintaining multi-year funding where needed. Over three-quarters of grants were awarded for periods of two years or more, with two to five years. We have heard from the sector that predictable funding enables more effective planning and resilience.
To mitigate the impact of inflation and rising living costs, we also provided a ten percent uplift to eligible grants that had not accounted for inflation in their original budgets. This helped those groups and organisations to meet the increasing costs associated with carrying out their work.
Nicola Purdy, our acting chief executive, said we work to be a supportive and responsive funder. “The work of the organisations and individuals we support is more crucial than ever before. We are committed to ensuring JRCT continues to be a catalyst for positive social change.”
Our report shares stories from grantees whose different approaches contribute to systemic change such as Cooperation Town, a network of food co-operatives, the Kindling Trust, which is transforming farmland into a community-owned agroforestry system, and Voicing the Void in Northern Ireland, which is using storytelling to heal and connect communities.
You can read more about their wide-ranging work in our report.
In 2025, we begin a new strategic planning process to shape the Trust’s direction over the next decade. This process will be grounded in careful listening so we can understand how to best support those tackling complex, long-term issues while remaining open to emerging initiatives. Our aim is to be the most effective and supportive funder we can be, and to understand how our grantmaking makes a difference.
Our commitment to examining the Rowntree legacies also continues. We are actively developing an approach and timeline to explore appropriate forms of reparation that advance our charitable aims for the public benefit.
Our investment strategy remains aligned with our Quaker values, avoiding fossil fuel extraction and prioritising enterprises that pursue social and environmental goals. While returns may fluctuate, our long-term, responsible investment approach is designed to support the sustainability of our grant-making.
As we look ahead, we remain guided by Joseph Rowntree’s enduring conviction that “there may be no better way of advancing the objects one has at heart than to strengthen the hands of those who are effectively doing the work that needs to be done.” This principle is embedded in every aspect of JRCT’s work.
As Jonathan writes in the report: “We want to ensure sustained and considered support for the people and organisations doing vital work in an increasingly complex and unequal world.”