Rowntree Charity Appoints Head of Reparations in Landmark Move for UK Philanthropy

In what represents a landmark, possibly unprecedented, step for a major UK foundation, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) has begun recruiting for a Head of Reparations. The creation of this senior leadership position, which carries a salary of £92,000, is a testament to the trust’s commitment to this issue and the level of responsibility and expertise required for the role. This move beyond apology and historical review into the practical realm of restorative action is a significant step for a sector built on endowments from Britain’s industrial and colonial past. By seeking to formally operationalise reparations, JRCT is setting a new benchmark that will force other legacy charities to confront difficult questions about their own origins and the tangible meaning of justice in the 21st century.

The Journey to Reparations: From Apology to Action

The Trust’s decision is not a sudden development but the culmination of a multi-year process of thorough investigation and public reflection. This journey of introspection, given new urgency by the Black Lives Matter movement, has prompted thousands of organisations to examine long-standing racial injustices within their own histories. This thorough process should reassure the public of JRCT’s commitment to justice and accountability.

In April 2021, following preliminary research commissioned by The Rowntree Society, JRCT and its associated trusts released statements acknowledging the complex and troubling origins of their endowment. The research revealed that the Rowntree company, which provided the wealth to establish the trusts in 1904, had benefited from purchasing goods produced by enslaved people and from the system of colonial indenture. It also highlighted that during the apartheid era, its South African subsidiary, Wilson Rowntree, used tactics including “summary dismissal and forced unemployment to suppress unrest among its black work force.”

The Trust’s response was unequivocal. In a public apology, trustees stated they were “appalled by what we have learned about these abhorrent practices,” adding, “As a former shareholder in the Rowntree company and an institutional beneficiary of its wealth, we are deeply sorry.” They also expressed sincere regret for having overlooked these “shameful parts” of the company’s history and for their failure to begin the process of acknowledgement sooner.

Since that apology, JRCT has taken several proactive steps to embed this learning into its modern-day operations. These practical changes, including recruiting new trustees, introducing policy themes that address systemic racism, and fundamentally changing its governance, should encourage the public and signal JRCT’s commitment to change and progress.

• Recruiting new trustees to include people from beyond the Quaker community.
• Introducing policy themes that address systemic racism across its grant programmes.
• Fundamentally changing its governance so that most funding decisions are now made by specialist committees comprising trustees, staff and specialist advisers, to ensure rigour and accountability.

The creation of the Head of Reparations role is the next logical step in this journey. The core purpose of the position is to develop and implement a comprehensive reparations programme. This involves working with community partners, historians, and legal experts to design and lead a strategic plan that aligns with the charity’s mission and Quaker values. The Head of Reparations will be responsible for overseeing the execution of this plan, ensuring that it is carried out in a way that is both effective and in line with the charity’s principles. Nicola Purdy, JRCT’s recently appointed chief executive, described the role as a “rare opportunity to help shape an important and evolving area of work.” This move from historical research to programmatic action signals a deeper commitment, linking JRCT’s specific journey to a broader movement of accountability within the philanthropic world.

A Sector-Wide Reckoning: Philanthropy Confronts Its Past

While significant, JRCT’s actions are part of a growing international trend among foundations examining the ethical origins of their wealth. A number of grant-makers have undertaken historical inventories to understand how their endowments were created, often leading to fundamental changes in their investment and grant-making strategies.

In the United States, for instance, the 1772 Foundation discovered its endowment was a product of slave labour and subsequently dedicated millions to support education and wealth-building for Black residents. Similarly, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust divested from tobacco stocks after a historical study documented that the Reynolds family made its wealth not only from tobacco but also from “the people they enslaved to grow the crop.” The Rockefeller Foundation have also announced plans to divest from fossil fuels, the source of their original wealth.

The catalyst for much of this introspection has been the global racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. These protests, which were sparked by the killing of an unarmed Black man by a police officer in the United States, quickly spread around the world and brought issues of systemic racism and historical injustice to the forefront of public consciousness. For JRCT, this societal moment aligned with its core identity. As the Trust itself stated, “As a Quaker Trust, our commitment to integrity also prompts us to reflect on our own situation and actions, even when this is difficult.” This imperative was echoed by Paul Parker, Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain, who stated that this work is an “important part of owning and understanding our own history” and is linked to the wider goal of Quakers in Britain to become an anti-racist church.” A spokesperson for JRCT reinforced this motivation, framing the new role as the “right next step” for a “Quaker organisation committed to peace and justice.”

This turn towards practical, restorative action by a major faith-based charity places it at the forefront of a complex national and international debate on slavery reparations.

The National Context: A Difficult and Evolving Conversation

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is taking this concrete step amidst a complex and often contentious national debate in the UK, where official government action has been notably limited. Successive political leaders have stopped short of committing to a formal process of reparatory justice. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed “deep sorrow” for Britain’s role in the slave trade, while Labour leader Keir Starmer has stated a desire to be “facing forward” rather than engaging in “endless discussions about reparations”.

This stance contrasts sharply with the views of advocates, who argue that expressions of regret are insufficient. As the Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has argued, “aid is not reparations, it has a lot of strings attached,” and a simple “apology is free.” This highlights a fundamental divide between symbolic gestures and the material, structural changes that reparations campaigners are demanding.

The debate has also evolved to encompass a broad range of potential actions beyond direct financial payments. Campaigners and international bodies have outlined numerous forms reparations could take, with advocates such as Bell Ribeiro-Addy calling for:

• Clearing debt for former colonies
• Funding for climate resilience

Meanwhile, Michelle Charters, head of the International Slavery Museum, has advocated for “educational, cultural, and technological” support, alongside the return of artefacts plundered during the colonial era. The structured nature of these demands is exemplified by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which has developed a detailed 10-point plan for reparatory justice. The creation of a Head of Reparations at JRCT brings these abstract international concepts into the tangible reality of a UK charity’s governance and strategy, providing a powerful domestic case study.

Conclusion: A New Benchmark for British Charities

The appointment of a Head of Reparations by a major endowed charity like the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust sets a powerful new precedent for the UK voluntary sector. It marks a decisive shift from historical acknowledgement to structured, professionalised action, moving the concept of restorative justice from the theoretical to the operational. This single recruitment decision poses a series of profound questions for other legacy charities and foundations: Will they now feel compelled to launch their own historical reviews? How will this move reshape the debate around ethical philanthropy, trustee responsibility, and the very legitimacy of endowments built on historical exploitation?

As a spokesperson for JRCT has noted, the specific scope, structure, and funding of the programme have not yet been finalised. The entire sector will be watching closely to see what restorative justice will look like when implemented by a British foundation. The creation of this role is more than just an internal matter for one organisation; it could act as a critical catalyst, prompting a deeper, more honest, and more consequential engagement with historical injustice across UK philanthropy.