We're recruiting for a head of reparations to lead a reparations programme for JRCT. You can read more about why we are taking this step here:
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is one of three trusts established in 1904 by Joseph Rowntree, using wealth generated by the Rowntree confectionery company.
Sustained by his Quaker faith, Joseph Rowntree was a businessman and social reformer committed to addressing social issues, with a lasting legacy that continues to shape our work today.
Since JRCT was founded over 120 years ago, we have made grants to thousands of people and organisations doing charitable work for a fairer and more peaceful world. We draw our income from our responsibly invested endowment - we do not fundraise. Guided by our Quaker values of peace, truth, and equality, and operating as a charitable trust, and in line with charity law and regulations, we continue Joseph Rowntree’s vision: tackling the root causes of problems, not just their symptoms.
While the Rowntree legacy is often celebrated for progressive business practice in the UK, the story of how the Rowntree Company benefitted from colonial-era trade has, until recently, been largely overlooked.
In 2021, our trustees reflected on these histories and, alongside the other Rowntree trusts, responded to a review indicating that the Rowntree Company had profited from systems of colonial exploitation. Research shows that the company used supply chains using forced and unfair labour, including the purchase of cocoa and other goods produced by enslaved people. There is evidence that its South African subsidiary, Wilson Rowntree, engaged in oppressive and exploitative practices during the apartheid era.
As a Quaker organisation committed to a more peaceful and just world, we recognise that these are complex histories requiring ongoing reflection and learning. We have a duty to acknowledge these histories and their ongoing impact, and it is right we do this. Our trustees shared a statement committing to identifying meaningful forms of reparation that further our charitable purposes for the public benefit.
We have worked with experts in reparations and racial justice, and with historians and archivists, and taken time to understand these histories and how they relate to our continuing work. These discussions have been in-depth, supported by experts, and needed time, consideration and care.
We are now ready to move forward and we are seeking a head of reparations to join our senior leadership team and to work with affected communities, historians, legal experts and other partners to develop and lead a reparations programme.
This work will be developed in collaboration with our board and CEO. It will further our charitable purposes for the public benefit.
We are recruiting a head of reparations specifically to develop the programme. At this stage, the specific scope, structure or funding allocation has not been finalised. We plan to share further details as work proceeds.
Since 2021, we have taken practical steps to ensure our work today reflects our values and commitment to addressing the root causes of conflict and injustice. This has included
• Recruiting new trustees to include people beyond the Quaker community
• Including policy themes addressing systemic racism across our grant programmes
• Recruiting more expert advisors to strengthen our grant-making approach. Most funding decisions are now made by specialist committees made up of trustees, staff and specialist advisors to ensure rigour and accountability in decision-making.
We intend to continue grant-making in the long term. JRCT will continue to invest its funds ethically and responsibly, and to make grants to those who address the root causes of problems in our society as outlined by Joseph Rowntree when he established our organisation.
We want to remain true to our responsibilities to the past, present, and future by honouring our commitment to addressing historic injustice while ensuring long-term support for changemakers.
You can see the advert for the head of reparations here.
If you have recruitment queries please email: recruitment@jrct.org.uk
If you have general queries please email enquiries@jrct.org.uk
The Rowntree cocoa factory at Tanner's Moat, York, 1890s. Source The Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York.