Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation

The Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation, established in 2006 by philanthropists Rory and Elizabeth Brooks, is a private grant-making trust dedicated to tackling complex social disadvantage, advancing education and research, enabling arts access, and empowering communities through catalytic interventions. Guided by values of partnership, sustained engagement, and measurable impact, it adopts a hands-on approach with personal trustee involvement, fostering multi-year relationships and co-shaping initiatives to drive system-level change and amplify excluded voices.

The Foundation prioritizes global poverty research (e.g., University of Manchester's Global Development Institute), social mobility via educational charities like IntoUniversity and the CSJ Foundation, medical research and healthcare, community care (Rugby Portobello Trust), arts inclusion (Tate Brooks International Fellowship, Whitworth Art Gallery, ARTiculation Prize), and nature conservation (Whitley Fund for Nature). Beneficiaries include disadvantaged youth, London communities (especially Kensington and Chelsea), students/early-career researchers, grassroots justice groups, and pioneering arts/environmental individuals, with support spanning core funding, strategic projects, and catalytic gifts for scalable, high-impact models primarily in the UK (London/Manchester focus) and select global efforts.

Invite-only for general grants, it targets medium-to-large established organizations with proven capacity, showing no geographic, religious, or strict income restrictions but preferring ambitious, evidence-based partners open to deep collaboration. Typical grants range from £50,000 to millions over multi-years; the sole open call is the Brooks International Fellowship for non-UK visual arts professionals (deadline: 8 January 2025). Distinctive for its non-transactional, institution-building style and proactive partner selection, it avoids unsolicited applications and speculative proposals outside announced themes.