Under New Strategy the Charitable Trust Pledges £10 Million to Empower Racial Justice, Support Systemic Change and Champion Shift in Philanthropy
London: April 3rd, 2025 – The Tudor Trust is excited to announce its first group of grant funding following a major transformation of the organisation.
As part of its new Change We Seek strategy Tudor is focusing on providing larger, but fewer, longer-term grants to organisations and leaders tackling social injustice through a racial injustice lens. In this first round, Tudor will award a total of £10 million to 18 groups across the UK committed to advancing racial justice and driving meaningful systemic change.
This includes 11 “Learning Partners” – organisations that as well as aligning with its Change We Seek strategy are open to collaborating with Tudor on a shared learning journey. These groups will receive a total of £9.3 million in flexible and unrestricted long-term funding, distributed over periods of up to six years.
In addition, seven groups have been chosen as “Exploration Partners” – smaller organisations which align with Tudor’s new strategy and who are still developing their strategic ambitions. Each will receive a one-time unrestricted grant of £100,000.
Organisations already receiving Tudor grants, with whom the Trust has had the pleasure of collaborating over many years, will continue to be funded until the end of their existing agreements.
Raji Hunjan, CEO of The Tudor Trust, said: “This marks a defining moment for the Tudor Trust with racial justice now embedded as the lens through which we will tackle all forms of injustice. Our transformation is about shifting power and building deeper relationships with our grant partners. By committing £10 million to organisations driving racial justice and systemic change, we are investing in a future shaped by those with lived experience alongside their communities.”
“To truly live their ambitions, the organisations we are partnering with have been funded in a way that moves us away from a scarcity mindset and instead focuses on what it takes to unlock their full potential and enable them to thrive.”
Over the past few years, Tudor has undergone a major shift in how it operates. At the heart of the organisation’s reorganisation is its Change We Seek strategy, which envisions a just, equitable world where resources are abundant for all.
By focusing on fewer, more impactful grants, Tudor fosters deeper collaboration with its partners, empowering them to shape a more just and equitable future.
Its new approach values all assets – including people, culture, and investments, alongside grant-making – to drive systemic change and redistribute power. It believes that achieving justice requires collective action and placing lived experiences at its centre.
It acknowledges philanthropy’s historical role in reinforcing inequity and commits to shifting its philanthropy from holding power over communities to working with them, fostering transformative change. Internally, it champions bravery, collaboration, and integrity.
As part of its new mission, Tudor has restructured its leadership to bring in a more diverse board and staff, and it is now focused on funding organisations that tackle the root causes of systemic inequity and racial injustice.
Due to the organisation’s recent transformation, this first round of funding was by invitation only. This has enabled Tudor to test a different grant-making model which shifts power from trustee-led decision making to staff who are closer to the issues on the ground. The Board continues to have oversight. As Tudor moves forward, the next round of funding will be based on what Tudor learns from its grantee partners in this first round and so will also be by invitation.
Grant Recipients:
The 11 Learning Partners, who will share £9.3 million, are:
- Birthrights
- Black Feminist Fund
- Civic Square
- Coffee Afrik CIC
- Friends, Families & Travellers
- Good Ancestor Movement
- Hood Futures Studio CIC
- Project Tallawah
- Rekindle School
- Runnymede Trust
- Ubele Initiative
The seven Exploration Partners, who will each receive £100,000, are:
- Decolonising Economics
- Land In Our Names CIC
- Material Cultures
- People Dem Collective
- Sistren Legal Collective
- Tripod
- Ubuntu Women Shelter
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For further information or media inquiries please contact Eva Simpson or Rona Gibson from ESPR: media@es-pr.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
- About Tudor Trust: The Tudor Trust is an independent grant-making organisation that has supported voluntary and community organisations across the UK since it was founded in 1955 by Sir Godfrey Mitchell, then owner of George Wimpey Ltd. Originally established as a charitable trust, it was renamed the Tudor Trust in 1979. With assets of £230 million, Tudor committed just under £16 million in grants during the 2023/2024 financial year, and the Trust’s assets are responsibly managed across a diverse range of funds. Tudor has long focused on providing sustained support to smaller, community-led groups that work directly with people at the margins of society. As part of its evolution, Tudor is now placing an increased focus on supporting initiatives that advance racial and social justice.
- Raji Hunjan has been in the CEO role since January 2024, overseeing the transformation of Tudor in an interim capacity. As part of the new direction at Tudor, she has now been confirmed as the permanent CEO. Hunjan has previously held leadership positions both in philanthropy as a grant-maker and in the voluntary sector at smaller charities combining direct services and campaigning.
- Derek Bardowell was appointed to the Board in February 2024. He assumed the role of chair in November 2024 and is now formally leading a new Board. He brings extensive expertise and a profound dedication to community-led philanthropy. Bardowell has previously held trustee roles with organisations including Sir Lewis Hamilton’s charity Mission 44 and the Thirty Percy Foundation. From 2009 to 2019, he managed portfolios distributing over £150 million in grants to support critical causes across 34 countries.
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