The all-white board at one of Britain’s wealthiest charities has quit after an anti-racism diversity drive.
The board of The Tudor Trust, which has assets of £288 million, was previously dominated by descendants of its founder – Sir Godfrey Mitchell.
However, the members have now been replaced by eight new trustees – only one of whom is white, it has been reported.
Mitchell’s grandson Christopher Graves, who was the executive director and worked at the charity for 38 years, has been replaced by a black woman.
Other family trustees that have stepped down include chairman Matthew Dunwell and his brother Benjamin.
Dunwell, 61, who is also one of Mitchell’s descendants, said he hoped his decision would inspire other family trusts to do the same, The Times has reported.
He wrote in his final report as chairman: ‘Letting go of power is a messy business, and there is no perfect time or way to do this.
‘The role of long-standing family involvement in philanthropy, or family trusts, has quite rightly come under scrutiny, particularly over the last five years.
Christopher Graves (pictured), who was the executive director and worked at the charity for 38 years, has been replaced by a black woman
Pictured: Raji Hunjan the new chief executive of the Tudor Trust
The board of The Tudor Trust, which has assets of £288 million, was previously dominated by descendants of its founder – Sir Godfrey Mitchell (pictured)
‘I hope at Tudor we have demonstrated that changes to longstanding ways of working are possible.
The organisation, which gives about £20 million a year to good causes, was founded in 1955 by a bequest from Sir Godfrey, founder of building giant George Wimpey.
However, in 2023, the organisation branded itself as ‘white and privileged’ and was accused of undergoing a woke makeover.
The charity stopped accepting grant applications for 20 months while it ‘re-thought’ its future and staff learnt about ‘racial justice’ and ‘white supremacy culture’.
The decision forced many smaller organisations to look for funding elsewhere.
The Bristol Older People’s Forum received a £3,000 grant to go towards Platform 60, a national website for older people that will be launched shortly.
‘It has been really useful to get the grant,’ a spokesman previously said. ‘It was only a small amount of money, but we wanted to get another small amount to continue the development of the project.’
However, the Tudor Trust changes meant they have had to rely on a national lottery grant and volunteers giving time for free to complete the work.
Another charity that helps children in north-west England, but asked not to be named, said the funds from the Tudor Trust were a ‘lifeline’ and they would have applied for grants in future but that is now uncertain.
The organisation, which gives about £20 million a year to good causes, was founded in 1955 by a bequest from Sir Godfrey (pictured), founder of building giant George Wimpey
The organisation now asks groups to apply for funding and does not accept unsolicited applications.
This week the Tudor Trust announced its first grants since the 2023 freeze – £9.3million in funding for 11 groups.
Among those receiving the funds are the Black Feminist Fund, the Good Ancestor Movement and The Ubele Initiative which supports the African diaspora.
Raji Hunjan, the new chief executive said: ‘This marks a defining moment for The Tudor Trust with racial justice now embedded as the lens through which we tackle all forms of injustice.’
A statement by the Tudor Trust previously read: ‘We recognise that we live in a society that is shaped by white privilege and racism.
‘We also acknowledge that being a family Trust has given rise to a trustee board that is almost entirely white and privileged.
‘While the profile of the staff of the trust is more diverse, we recognise that, throughout the organisation, most of us do not have experience of what it means to be discriminated against because of our colour.’
A spokesperson for the Tudor Trust said: ‘In 2022, the Board of family trustees started a challenging widely-publicised process of organisational change and subsequently agreed to centre racial justice to tackle all forms of injustice and achieve a fairer society for all.
‘The trustees, including family members, some of whom departed their roles three years ago, with the final family trustee concluding their role in 2024, stepped down amicably and approved the appointment of the new board.
‘They did not step down as a result of a ‘race review’, and there is no executive director in place.
‘They are confident in Tudor’s renewed vision and we all feel it’s a loss when efforts to address these issues are shut down before they even begin. It helps no one and only fuels division.’
