We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to eight weeks of conversations to shape the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust's strategy for the future.
We have thoroughly enjoyed these conversations with grantholders, the JRCT team, Quakers, peer funders, young people, sector bodies and researchers – across workshops in London and York, as well as interviews, online sessions and surveys.
All of that rich conversation and insight will shape our future strategy which is due to be agreed in 2027.
We heard strong and consistent calls for how we can be more helpful and more effective as a charitable funder. While some are not new, they represent clear, cross-constituency signals at a particular moment in the UK. We’ve set these out below.
What we heard about JRCT’s role
Firstly, we heard a lot of support for JRCT, and for how we work. Those we spoke to consistently highlighted JRCT’s distinctive contribution, particularly:
- A willingness to fund important work that others may overlook - The values rooted in our Quaker heritage - A relational, trust-based approach to grantmaking - Our place within a small but significant group of values-led funders.
At the same time, there was a clear call for sharper focus, recognising that we cannot do everything, and that deliberate choices about priorities will be essential. We were urged to move towards greater clarity on the sort of funder we want to be, and where and how we want to make a difference.
Eight themes emerging from the conversations 1. Long-term, flexible funding
The most consistent message was the importance of long-term, unrestricted (where possible) funding. We heard that support over five to ten years can be transformative - enabling organisations to plan, take risks and build deeper impact. At the same time, stakeholders acknowledged the trade-offs, particularly between sustained support for existing partners and reaching a wider range of organisations. 2. Reflecting real-world interconnectedness
The issues we fund do not exist in isolation. People experience them as overlapping and interconnected, and funding approaches need to reflect that reality. Climate intersects with human rights, which intersects with migration. We heard that our programmes areas are relevant and important. We could do more in terms of funding across and between these. 3. Protecting the conditions for change
Many highlighted the increasingly challenging context for civil society, with some organisations facing severe or even existential pressures. There is a growing sense that funders could be more active in safeguarding and strengthening the conditions that make social change possible. 4. Addressing the narrative gap
Stakeholders identified a gap in the “narrative infrastructure” around social change. This is not about speaking on behalf of others, but about ensuring ideas and evidence are better communicated, understood and shared among wider audiences. We heard there is a role for JRCT in helping to translate and amplify the work of those we fund, and in supporting stronger public narratives. Put simply – our grantees do wonderful things. They produce sharp analyses of how the world could be better. We think there is a real opportunity for thinking about how we translate that work and get it beyond the sector. 5. Using our voice with clarity and purpose
We could use our own voice thoughtfully and deliberately by: - Amplifying the perspectives of our grantholders - Speaking from our own practice and experience, particularly in relation to philanthropy, ethical investment and our reparations programme. 6. Convening to strengthen the field Convening was widely welcomed, particularly where it supports learning, collaboration and shared problem-solving. This should be driven by the needs of the field and properly resourced to be meaningful. 7. Embedding reparations work There is real interest in and support for JRCT’s work on reparations. Those we spoke to encouraged us to continue and to articulate more clearly how this work connects to our wider strategy and grantmaking. 8. Supporting responsible transitions One of the more difficult but necessary questions we asked was: if as a result of this learning, we decide we have to stop doing some things, how can we do that responsibly? If or where funding relationships come to an end, stakeholders stressed the importance of doing so with care and responsibility. This includes:
- Providing sufficient notice - Communicating openly and honestly - Offering transition support and signposting - Avoiding abrupt “cliff-edge” endings What happens next We have spent time reading and reflecting on all that we heard, and making sense of what that tells us about our role in UK civil society. We are using these insights to shape our thinking about our future strategy.
We want to keep working with those closest to us, and building on the relationships and trust that made this process so valuable.
We know that we can’t do everything, and we know that we will have to discern the right way forward for us as a Trust. Strategy always involves making choices, and we will approach this next phase thoughtfully and with care. There are some more stages of the review to carry out, and we are excited to see where we get to. Our final strategy will be signed off next year and fully implemented by 2028. You can see more about the next stages of our strategy process below and we will keep sharing updates on our website and social media.