History
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) was founded in 1904, and is one of four trusts established by Joseph Rowntree. Then known as the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust, its original purpose was to build and manage the garden village of New Earswick, York.
Joseph Rowntree wanted his money to be used to tackle the root causes of social problems, rather than treating their symptoms. His Memorandum of 1904 stated: "I feel that much of the current philanthropic effort is directed to remedying the more superficial manifestations of weakness or evil, while little thought or effort is directed to search out their underlying causes ... to search out the under-lying causes of weakness or evil in the community, rather than ... remedying their more superficial manifestations."
In 1988, Richard Best became director of JRF, holding the post until 2006. In 1989, Roland Hurst, a Quaker, joined as Director of Information Services. He sought to disseminate and publicise the results of JRF-funded research. To achieve this, he introduced the "Findings" series which summarised research reports in a four-page summary paper.
Today, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation spends around £10 million a year on its research and development programme and on taking forward key messages. The majority of JRF-funded research is available to download free of charge from the JRF website.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Rowntree Foundation
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