In 2020 Sir John Cass’s Foundation, one of London’s oldest and largest education charities, agreed it did not want to be tainted with the name of their founder and promised to change its name. After extensive research, Sir John Cass’s Foundation can today announce its new name, THE PORTAL TRUST.
“We’re excited to announce our brand has evolved with a fresh new feel and strapline, that we believe reflects our vision, core proposition and most importantly our valued community,” said CEO, Richard Foley.
“For over three hundred years the Foundation has pursued ideals of supporting the most disadvantaged within our local community of London. Our new name allows us to continue to do that with renewed vigour without celebrating a man who was involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Our new name of PORTAL is embedded in our ambition to “support all”, as a neat summary of all our ideals.
Our research told us that the brand needed to be a ‘total refresh’ but also that the Foundation itself should be more focused on our community and recipients. Our core philanthropic principles and the importance of inspiring, educating and informing our community take on new life now.
“We will never forget that it was the tragic death of George Floyd and the resulting #BlackLivesMatter campaign that led us here. We have begun a programme of acknowledging our past and of change, the most visible ones being the change in our name and the appointment of an independent Diversity Consultant. Our momentum for change continues unabated and THE PORTAL TRUST will continue to award grants to those most in need.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Sir John Cass’s Foundation will officially become The Portal Trust from 27 January 2021, retaining the working name, Sir John Cass’s Foundation until its relaunch in Spring 2021.
Founded in 1748, the Foundation supports education for young people in London through its grant programmes for individuals, schools and organisations. The Foundation’s most recent impact report shows that it awarded £17.6million in grants over the last decade. https://sirjohncassfoundation.com/impact.
The Foundation’s grant strategy prioritises initiatives which support widening access and participation in Further and Higher Education; initiatives which address high levels of truancy and exclusion; and supporting prisoner education.
The new brand design will be launched in Spring 2021 following further consultation with partners and stakeholders.
The Diversity Consultant was announced on 11th November 2020 https://sirjohncassfoundation.com/colleen-harris-mvo-appointed-as-first-diversity-consultant.