Gatsby Charitable Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The London-based Gatsby Charitable Foundation supports plant sciences, neuroscience, education, global development, policy development and arts and culture in the U.K. and elsewhere.
IP TAKE: The Gatsby Charitable Foundation works mainly through existing partnerships with leading organizations and institutions in its areas of interest. Applications are accepted for some of its research grants, fellowships and scholarships. Its science and plant grantmaking centers more on individual grants to researchers rather than grants to organizations, but there are some exceptions across its giving. This is a relatively accessible and responsive giver.
PROFILE: Established in 1967 by David Sainsbury, who is also known as Lord Sainsbury of Turville, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation is one of the 17 nonprofits of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, each of which is a separate legal entity. Sainsbury graduated from King’s College at Cambridge University and earned an MBA from Columbia University. In addition to working as a director at his family’s business, the J. Sainsbury supermarket chain, he has served as the U.K.’s Minister of Science and Innovation and as a Chancellor at Cambridge University. David Sainsbury is also the author of a book, “Progressive Capitalism: How to Achieve Economic Growth, Liberty and Social Justice,” which was published in 2013. Based in London, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation works in the areas of plant science, neuroscience, education, global development, policy development and the arts, taking an active role in “designing, developing, overseeing and, in some cases, delivering” the projects in which it invests. More than half of this funder’s grantmaking remains in the U.K.
Grants for Science Research
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation runs a plant science initiative and has endowed several named and signature projects, including Sainsbury Laboratories at Cambridge University and the Norwich Research Park and core funding for the Two Blades Foundation, which supports the development of disease-resistant crops. The foundation also awards yearly grants for exceptional researchers in plant science. These grants are awarded exclusively to researchers working in the U.K. and prioritize “exceptional research projects that are unlikely to attract support from research councils or other funding agencies.” Grants are awarded in amounts up to ₤35,000, and applications are accepted via email in March, July, September and December of each year. Recent grants have gone to projects that address agriculture through the lens of climate change and population growth in developing nations.
Grants for Brain and Cell Research
Gatsby’s neuroscience program maintains the broad aim of “advancing knowledge in experimental and theoretical neuroscience.” The foundation does not regularly award grants in this area, working instead through existing relationships with leading institutes in the U.K. the U.S., Israel and Switzerland. Funded projects in neuroscience include the Sainsbury-Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behavior, the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at University College London and the development of a new strategic plan for the British Neuroscience Association. In the U.S. Gatsby has supported the Seung Computational Neuroscience Lab at Princeton University, the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University and the California Circuits Consortium, a five-laboratory collaboration to develop tools for the analysis of cortical circuits in higher brain functions. In Switzerland, the foundation has funded a conference series addressing “the assembly and function of neuronal circuits in Ascona, and in Israel, it has endowed the Gatsby Programme in Theoretical Neuroscience at Hebrew University. The foundation’s neuroscience program does not accept applications for funding.
Grants for K-12 Education
Gatsby’s K-12 education grantmaking supports technical education at the high school level and teacher recruitment, education and retention with a focus on STEM disciplines. K-12 education funding is limited to the U.K., and the foundation works mainly through active partnerships with preselected organizations, including school districts in Sheffield, Greater Manchester, the University of Huddersfield, the National STEM Centre and Engineering UK’s Big Bang Fair.
Grants for Higher Education
Higher education funding stems from Gatsby’s education and plant science initiatives. The education program aims to improve science and engineering skills in the U.K. by informing public policy on education and the development of innovative teaching and learning programs. Recent areas of focus have included technical education, STEM and teacher education in the STEM disciplines. At the University of Brighton, the foundation supported a mentorship program for in-training technology teachers. The foundation also partnered with the U.K.’s Department for Education on an in-depth review of technical education. Through the plant science program, the foundation has supported undergraduate “studentships,” which offer outstanding students an opportunity to participate in summer research projects, and Sainsbury Ph.D. Studentships, which support three promising student researchers at top universities in the U.K. each year.
Grants for Global Development
Gatsby supports global development via its Africa initiative, which aims to foster economic growth in East Africa through programs that educate and empower the underserved. Recent areas of interest include the development of the textile industry and sustainable agriculture and forestry. The foundation has partnered with the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and others to support well-established organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Grant recipients have included the Tanzania Cotton Board, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute and the Kenya Markets Trust. This program does not accept applications for funding.
Grants for CIvic and Democracy
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s work in public policy stems from its founder’s stint as Minister of Science and Innovation from 1998 until 2006. Sainsbury “came to feel that politicians and civil servants’ attempts to deliver change and best serve the public were being frustrated by outdated and inefficient processes surrounding government.” Public policy grantmaking supports three organizations: The Institute for Government, the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy and the Centre for Cities, which Sainsbury founded and which aims to improve the economic functioning of Britain’s major metropolitan areas. This program does not accept proposals for funding and is strictly limited to policy development in the U.K.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Arts and culture grants support visual and performing arts institutions with which the Sainsbury family has a connection. Recipients include the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Columbia University Arts Initiative, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Sainsbury Arts Institutes at the University of East Anglia, among others.
Important Grant Details:
Gatsby grants range from $50,000 to over $1 million, with an average grant size of about $250,000. Most grantmaking stays in the U.K., but some funding has gone to organizations in the U.S., Israel, Switzerland and nations in East Africa. For additional information about past grants, see the foundation’s annual reports.
Gatsby accepts applications only for those programs that support individual researchers, scholars and students through its plant science and education initiatives. Guidelines and due dates vary by program and are available on individual program pages at the foundation’s website. General inquiries may be directed to foundation staff via online contact form or telephone at 44-0-20-7410-0330.
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