The Rothschild Foundation, rooted in over 70 years of family leadership, is dedicated to making long-term, impactful contributions to the arts, local communities, and the environment, with Waddesdon Manor as the emblem of our mission. Alongside its care and management of Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury Buckinghamshire, the Rothschild Foundation operates a grants programme for the charity sector. Our Grants Review covers the activity that the Foundation has supported from March 2024 – February 2025 as well as highlighting examples of the impact that funded activities are having in each of the Foundation’s priorities. A detailed review of activity at Waddesdon can be found in Waddesdon Manor’s Annual Review Waddesdon.org.uk. 

Arts & Heritage 

Culture, heritage and the arts are cornerstones of the Rothschild Foundation’s grant-making. Our ambition is simple: to increase access to the arts — through collections development, cultural education, and meaningful opportunities for participation. We support a wide range of cultural organisations, from national institutions to small, locally embedded organisations. By helping the sector become more inclusive and sustainable, we believe it creates space for innovation, experimentation, and wider community engagement.

In Buckinghamshire, our funding in 2024/25 has focused on removing barriers to participation — supporting individuals of all backgrounds and abilities to engage with cultural activity that meets them where they are in schools and in communities, with programmes and facilities adapted to their needs. 

Environment 

Building on a long-standing environmental legacy, the Rothschild Foundation continues to support nature restoration through food and farming. From early initiatives like the founding of what is now The Wildlife Trusts, to restoration work at Waddesdon Manor and Estate, our commitment to the natural world is deeply rooted.

In 2024/25, our work has focused on two key strands: enabling knowledge exchange and education for farmers, accelerating innovation through pilots and research, and we’re also working with funders to grow investment in sustainable food and farming.
In Buckinghamshire, we’re testing practical approaches with local farmers and growers — supporting soil health, habitat creation, clean water, nature friendly farming, and shorter supply chains for communities. 

Communities 

We are proud to support organisations dedicated to meeting the needs of the communities they serve. Our funding recognises the family values of integrity, harmony, and hard work in the organisations we support. Nationally, we proactively identify organisations committed to these values, and locally, our Community Fund provides multi-year, flexible funding to organisations addressing disadvantage and inequality in Buckinghamshire. In 2024/25, we supported 33 Buckinghamshire organisations focusing on homelessness, financial hardship, mental health, and disabilities. 

Read the full review here.