We’re delighted to welcome Jonathan Heawood and Alison Breadon as trustees at the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT).
Jonathan and Alison joined their first JRCT board meeting in September. Jonathan is also due to take over as chair from January.
They bring a strong commitment to our mission as a grant-maker to support those who address the root causes of conflict and injustice, and to Quaker values.
Jonathan said about becoming chair: “I grew up in York, the birthplace of Joseph Rowntree, so it feels very special to be chairing the Trust he established 120 years ago. I'm looking forward to building on the achievements of the outgoing chair, Huw Davies, and working with JRCT's amazing team of staff and trustees to interpret Rowntree's legacy in the twenty-first century.
“I cherish the Quaker identity of the Trust, but I want to make sure that we actively welcome the contribution of people of all backgrounds and beliefs. I also want to make sure that we continue to support organisations working on the toughest challenges facing our society.”
Jonathan, who is a Quaker, began his career as a journalist at the Observer and has also served as editor of the Fabian Review, director of English PEN and director of programmes at the Sigrid Rausing Trust. Following the Leveson Inquiry in 2011-12, Jonathan founded IMPRESS, the UK's first independent press regulator, which he led as CEO until 2020, when he launched the Public Interest News Foundation, which he now leads.
He has written for newspapers and magazines including the Telegraph, Guardian and New Statesman, and journals including Critical Quarterly, the Journal of Media Law and the British Journalism Review. He has given evidence to several Parliamentary inquiries and is regularly invited to speak at conferences in the UK and internationally. Jonathan has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has held visiting fellowships at King’s College, London, the University of East Anglia and the University of Stirling. He is a leadership fellow at St George’s House, Windsor and Chair of the Stephen Spender Trust. His first book, The Press Freedom Myth, was published in 2019.
Alison, a lifelong Quaker, has 20 years of leadership experience in small charities, including seven years running a Rape Crisis centre. She believes the direct work of supporting vulnerable communities must be matched by challenging the causes of injustice and violence, an approach which has been integral to her own work.
Alison has worked to support grassroots volunteer groups, and as a grants fundraiser, and has served on the board of Rape Crisis England and Wales, as a trustee for Quakers in Britain, and for Dadafest, a disability arts organisation based in Liverpool.
JRCT is a grant-making Quaker trust which supports people who address the root causes of conflict and injustice.
We work as a responsive funder, backing organisations bringing about genuine systemic change in the fields of peace and security, rights and justice, power and accountability, sustainable future, grassroots movements, and peace and human rights in Northern Ireland
Last year we made grant funding of around £20million to people and organisations whose vital work creates lasting change.
JRCT will be opening a further round of trustee recruitment later in the autumn as trustee terms come to an end. You can follow us here for the latest recruitment updates.