Sir Ernest Cassel Educational Trust

The Trust marked its centenary year in 2019 and having fulfilled most of its original charitable objectives turned its attention to the future by undertaking a major strategic review of direction.

In recent years, Trustees had increasingly focused their attention on making small grants to support the education of girls and women in developing countries. Driven by a vision that echoed the original intentions of Sir Ernest Cassel to effect longer term social change, going beyond individual benefit and will leave a legacy for future generations, the Trust decided to focus on work that would advance the inclusion, engagement and retention of girls and women in education and onwards through to employment. The areas of focus were across South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa and the work was to focus on the territories where the impact could be the greatest for the most excluded girls and young women, in low income countries.

The main thrust of the Trust’s role in effecting this change was to provide three grants of between £300k - £400k over 3 – 5 years to organisations excelling in this area. These awards are known as the Sir Ernest Cassel Centenary Awards..

These grants were awarded in July 2019 and at the current time there are no plans for any further open grants rounds. It is Trustees' intention that once the funded projects end and the subsequent monitoring and evaluation process is complete, that the Trust's resources will have been fully expended and the Trust will close.

The trust is committed to learning from the process of spending down and sharing this with the widest possible audience. You can read part one of our evaluative report here and a second part will be published once the centenary award funded work is complete. 

Trustees believe it is everyone's responsibility to learn about and fight against racist, injustice and discrimination everywhere. The Sir Ernest Cassel Educational Trust commits to work towards an anti racist world and more equal and fairer societies, in the way we work, in the way we use our resources and in the way we use our power.

Last updated 8th March 2023 

Registered Charity 313820

Registered Office: 69 Holgate Road, York, YO24 4AA

Tel: 01904 619740    e-mail: casseltrust@btinternet.com