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Chairmans and Executive Directors Report
In May 2025 Alan Grieve CBE, one of Jerwood Foundation’s founders who also chaired the organisation for over 30 years, died aged 97. This marked a particularly poignant moment for all of us at Jerwood, both professionally and personally. During Alan’s tenure he initiated and oversaw many significant projects; he was instrumental in the granting of over £113.5 m in capital and project funding as well as securing the future of organisations including the Royal Court Theatre, London and DanceEast, Ipswich. More recently, he oversaw the merger of the two Jerwood charities, reuniting them into a single future-facing foundation, relevant for the 21st century and ensuring maximum impact for beneficiaries.
In 2025, its second year of operation since the merger, Jerwood Foundation held 3 open funding rounds, processed 808 applications and awarded over £955,607 in grants, of which £360,450 was allocated to organisations not previously funded by Jerwood, including £105,000 to the Sir John Soane’s Museum to launch the Jerwood Artist in Residence Programme.
Importantly the recipients of the inaugural Jerwood Art Fund Commissions were announced during 2025: Tate Liverpool, in partnership with the International Slavery Museum, received funding to commission Chorus in Rememory of Flight – Liverpool, a groundbreaking multidisciplinary installation by poet, filmmaker and visual artist Julianknxx; and the University of Aberdeen was awarded funding to commission a new tapestry for the Sir Duncan Rice Library in collaboration with Zimbabwean Scottish visual artist Sekai Machache and Dovecot Studios.
We were also pleased to announce a grant of £200,000 to the Royal Court Theatre, an organisation to whom Jerwood has been pivotal for over 30 years. This newly announced grant will support two integral writer development programmes that sit at the heart of the theatre’s mission; Jerwood New Playwright, which offers production and development opportunities to an early career playwright; and Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme, a new open-application national fund to encourage ambitious play commissioning.
As we approach 2027, which will mark 50 years since Jerwood Foundation was founded by Alan for John Jerwood MC, we will reflect also on Alan’s far-reaching legacy, unwavering dedication to and leadership of Jerwood, as well as his vision that the Foundation should remain energetic, imaginative, flexible, open minded and willing to take risks.
Rupert Tyler, Chairman and Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee
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The legacy and mission of the Royal Court have long gone hand-in-hand with the values and support of Jerwood Foundation. We couldn't be prouder to announce this major new, multi-year partnership to take our joint commitment to new heights, investing in the next generation of contemporary playwriting. Not only will this extend the renowned Jerwood New Playwright award and strengthen our ability to premiere bold new work, but the centrepiece - the Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme - is a complete game-changer: jointly extending our resource beyond Sloane Square to create six new play commissions every year, with writers and producers at theatres across the country.
-Artistic Director David Byrne and Executive Director Will Young from the Royal Court.
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Grants and Jerwood Collection Loans
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Jerwood Collection Loans and Exhibitions
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Acquisitions
Last year Jerwood Foundation continued to acquire key works for Jerwood Collection, including: Fruit (1964) by John Armstrong (1893–1972); an exquisitely captivating portrait, Emma (2025) by Sarah Ball (b. 1965); Combat (1953) by Stanley William Hayter (1901–1988); a 1957 drawing by Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Project (winged figure – brass); Moon Jug (1978), a mixed media work on paper by Ben Nicholson (1894-1982); and Wells 2025, a series of three relief prints by Lubna Chowdhary (b.1964). Through making these acquisitions we have continued to increase representation by female artists as well as prints within Jerwood Collection.
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Project Grants 2025
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2025 Grants
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Jerwood Foundation have a long and inspiring history of supporting young talent in many fields. Young talent and young aspiration are the heart of The Herds. Without Jerwood we would not have been able to bring together so many young people from across the planet with an intensity that is proving to be crucial to the long-term impact of The Herds’ highly ambitious journey. The entire Herds team are extremely grateful to Jerwood for lending such effective support to our project.
- David Lan, THE HERDS Producer
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Ongoing Project Activity
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Jermyn Street's Little Brother [Obtain photo credit and title]
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2025 Grants Analysis
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Sustainability Statement and Carbon Report
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Lead image: John Armstrong (1893-1972), Fruit, 1964 Courtesy of Jerwood Collection. Copyright The Artist
Royal Court Theatre. Photo credit: Helen Murray
Jerwood Collection: A Gap in the Clouds, The Heong Gallery, 2025. Photo credit: Jo Underhill; James Wylie, Curator, V&A Dundee; Paul Nash (1889-1946) Spring Landscape 1914; Craigie Aitchison CBE RSA RA (1926-2009), Crucifixion, 1994, Hereford Cathedral, 2008; Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) Still Life, Asolo, Italy, 1955 © Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2025; Impressions: Selected Works from Jerwood Collection, Edinburgh Printmakers, 2025. Photo Credit: Alan Dimmick; With These Hands, Laing Art Gallery, 2025; Rose Wylie RA (b. 1934), Self Portrait with Shut Mouth, 2017. Copyright The Artist; Garden Futures: Designing with Nature V & A, Dundee, 2025. Photo credit: Ruth Clark; A Gap in the Clouds, The Heong Gallery, 2025. Photo credit: Jo Underhill; Echos: Works from Jerwood Collection, Arnolfini, 2025. Photo credit: Alice Hendy; Ben Nicholson (1894-1982), Moon Jug, 1978. Courtesy of Jerwood Collection, © 2025 All rights reserved, DACS; Dame Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Project (winged figure – brass),1957. Courtesy of Jerwood Collection, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness; Sarah Ball (b.1965), Emma, 2025. Copyright Sarah Ball. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography; Stanley William Hayter, (1901-1988), Combat, 1953 Courtesy of Jerwood Collection. Copyright the artist; John Armstrong (1893-1972), Fruit, 1964 Courtesy of Jerwood Collection. Copyright the artist; Lubna Chowdhary, (b. 1964) Zam Zam, 2025. Courtesy of Jerwood Collection. Copyright the artist; Lubna Chowdhary, (b. 1964) Adi Kadi, 2025. Courtesy of Jerwood Collection. Copyright the artist; Lubna Chowdhary, (b. 1964) Chak Chak, 2025. Courtesy of Jerwood Collection. Copyright the artist; William Coldstream (1908-1987), Study for St Nicholas Cole Abbey and Bow Church, 1946. Courtesy of Jerwood Collection. Copyright the artist.
Project Grants: ThickSkin; Young Vic, Jerwood Assistant Directors. Photo credit: Ellie Kurttz; Northern Ballet; Royal Shakespeare Company, Titus Andronicus rehearsal 2025. Photo credit: Marc Brenner; Ikon Gallery, Halima Cassell MBE (b. 1975), Kirigami, 2004.Credit needed; Sir John Soane’s Museum; The Walk Productions, THE HERDS, Tower Bridge, London. Photo Credit: Noor Zuabi; The Walk Productions, THE HERDS.
Ongoing Project Activity: Far From The Norm: NORMGROUND Joshua Shanny Wynter, (c) Far From The Norm, Photo credit: Camilla Greenwel; ThickSkin, Photo credit: Joel Chester Fildes; Natural History Museum, Sir David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum. (c) The Trustees of the NHM; Glyndebourne; Far From The Norm; Jerwood Space;
Asset Design: Rose
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