Sigrid Rausing Trust
Encyclopedia
Sigrid Rausing Trust is a grant-giving charitable foundation in the United Kingdom set up in 1995 by Sigrid Rausing
to promote international human rights.
The Trust was originally named the Ruben and Elisabeth Rausing Trust, after Sigrid Rausing's grandparents. Her grandfather Ruben Rausing
was co-founder of the Swedish packaging company Åkerlund & Rausing, which developed into the global milk and juice packaging company Tetra Pak
under the direction of Sigrid Rausing’s father, Hans Rausing
.
The Sigrid Rausing Trust has four grant programmes in the areas of Civil and Political Rights, Women’s Rights, Minority Rights and Social Justice, as well as a Miscellaneous Fund. Each programme has a number of sub-programmes. The trust has an annual budget (2010) of £20 million and has given away approximately £154 million since 1995.
The current grantees implement programmes in many different countries around the world. The Trust has also been a supporter of Human Rights Watch
, Amnesty International
's UK Human Rights Centre and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture in London, and funded the International Institute for Environment and Development's innovative flexible loan scheme for slum and shack dwellers.
Rausing ran the trust herself until 2002 with a personal assistant and two US trustees, Joshua Mailman and Robert Bernstein (founding chair of Human Rights Watch). The work of the trust is now (2011) administered by an administrative director, Elizabeth Wedmore, and staff including programme officers for each of the main programme areas. Sigrid Rausing remains chair of the current (2011) trustees. Her co-trustees are Josh Mailman, Susan Hitch, Andrew Puddephatt and Geoffrey Budlender. Josh Mailman is the longest serving, having been a member of the board since 1995. Lisbet Rausing, Tara Kaufmann, and Bob Bernstein are former trustees.
Sigrid Rausing
Sigrid Rausing is a Swedish philanthropist, anthropologist and publisher. She is the founder of the Sigrid Rausing Trust, one of the United Kingdom's largest philanthropic foundations, and owner of Granta magazine and its publishing arm, Granta Books.Rausing grew up in Lund, Sweden, and studied...
to promote international human rights.
The Trust was originally named the Ruben and Elisabeth Rausing Trust, after Sigrid Rausing's grandparents. Her grandfather Ruben Rausing
Ruben Rausing
Ruben Rausing was the founder of the liquid food packaging company Tetra Pak. He was born in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1895. On his death Ruben Rausing was Sweden's richest person.-Early life:...
was co-founder of the Swedish packaging company Åkerlund & Rausing, which developed into the global milk and juice packaging company Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak is a multinational food processing and packaging company of Swedish origin. It was founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden, by Ruben Rausing. It was Erik Wallenberg who invented the tetrahedral package, today known as Tetra Classic...
under the direction of Sigrid Rausing’s father, Hans Rausing
Hans Rausing
Hans Rausing, KBE, is a Swedish businessman based in the United Kingdom. He made his fortune from his co-inheritance of Tetra Pak , a company founded by his father Ruben Rausing and currently the largest food packaging company in the world...
.
The Sigrid Rausing Trust has four grant programmes in the areas of Civil and Political Rights, Women’s Rights, Minority Rights and Social Justice, as well as a Miscellaneous Fund. Each programme has a number of sub-programmes. The trust has an annual budget (2010) of £20 million and has given away approximately £154 million since 1995.
The current grantees implement programmes in many different countries around the world. The Trust has also been a supporter of Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
's UK Human Rights Centre and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture in London, and funded the International Institute for Environment and Development's innovative flexible loan scheme for slum and shack dwellers.
Rausing ran the trust herself until 2002 with a personal assistant and two US trustees, Joshua Mailman and Robert Bernstein (founding chair of Human Rights Watch). The work of the trust is now (2011) administered by an administrative director, Elizabeth Wedmore, and staff including programme officers for each of the main programme areas. Sigrid Rausing remains chair of the current (2011) trustees. Her co-trustees are Josh Mailman, Susan Hitch, Andrew Puddephatt and Geoffrey Budlender. Josh Mailman is the longest serving, having been a member of the board since 1995. Lisbet Rausing, Tara Kaufmann, and Bob Bernstein are former trustees.