FURTHER PARTICULARS
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
JRF/JRHT PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Housing Trust
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is one of the largest
independent social policy research and development charities in the UK.
For over one hundred years we have been engaged with searching out
the causes of social problems, investigating solutions and seeking to
influence those who can make changes.
The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) is closely aligned to JRF,
and delivers innovative, practical housing and care services in locations
across Yorkshire and also in Hartlepool.
Our Purpose
Together JRF and JRHT aim to:
 achieve lasting change for people and places in poverty;
 build communities where everyone is able to thrive; and
 contribute to a more equal society.
Now and for future generations.
Our Work: Search, Demonstrate, Influence
At JRF and JRHT we search out the underlying causes of poverty and
inequality, and identify solutions – through research and learning from
experience.
We demonstrate solutions - by developing and running services,
stewardship of our land and buildings, innovating and supporting others
to innovate.
We influence positive and lasting change – publishing and promoting
evidence, and bringing people together to share ideas.
1
Background
Joseph Rowntree (1836-1925) was a Quaker and a successful
businessman. In 1859 he took over his father's grocery shop on
Pavement in York. Ten years later he joined his younger brother in the
modest cocoa factory on the right bank of the Ouse which was to
become the major concern known as Rowntree. As a young man, he
had examined the conditions of the poor personally: in 1850 on a visit
with his father to Ireland he was witness to the effects of the potato
famine there; and in 1864-65 he delivered papers based on personal
study of poverty statistics.
The new factory he opened in 1891 on the outskirts of York provided
excellent facilities and he pursued enlightened policies for his
employees. His business flourished and, contrary to his personal
expectations, he became rich in later life. In 1904, with the consent of
his family, he transferred a substantial part of his wealth to the three
trusts with which his name is still associated.
The largest of the three Trusts was the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust.
His endowment consisted of 125 acres of land in New Earswick which
he had bought two years earlier, and shares in the Rowntree Company.
His intention was that the income from the Rowntree shares should be
used to build a Garden Village in New Earswick – and in due course,
further developments elsewhere.
The Village Trust’s objectives were widened by Act of Parliament in
1959 to include research and development, and its name was changed
to the Joseph Rowntree Memorial Trust. From 1904 to 1988 the Joseph
Rowntree Memorial Trust was the largest single shareholder in the
Rowntree Company. During this time the Trust’s wealth increased in
line with the success of the business (particularly from its popular
confectionary brands such as Kit-Kat, Smarties, and After Eight).
However, in 1988 the Swiss Company, Nestlé, launched a successful
takeover bid resulting in the Trust selling its shares: this broke the link
between Joseph Rowntree’s business and philanthropic operations.
There is now no formal connection with the Company.
The names were changed to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust in 1990. Both the JRF and JRHT are
registered charities. JRHT is also a Housing Association (sometimes
referred to as a Registered Social Landlord) registered with the Homes
and Communities Agency. The Trustees of the JRF and the JRHT are
the same people.
2
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the major charitable
foundations in the United Kingdom with programmes of research and
development in the core fields of poverty, place and empowerment, as
well as smaller programmes on other important topics. It supports
research projects to a level of over £5m a year. It has recently been
agreed that JRF will give greater emphasis to promoting knowledgebased change.
Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust
The Trustees and staff are also responsible for the Joseph Rowntree
Housing Trust - a housing association that manages the village of New
Earswick and carries out new housing developments throughout North
Yorkshire. The Housing Trust often provides a practical focus to the
research ideas from JRF through testing out new ideas and practices on
the ground.
3