ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION
The Rothschild Foundation is a charity supporting arts and heritage, the environment and social welfare by awarding grants, fostering dialogue and debate, and through our support of Waddesdon Manor.
News
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Lecture at the Royal Academy of Arts
Sponsored by the Rothschild Foundation, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A Writer’s Unknown Beginnings Lecture. Watch a clip from the lecture here.
19 December 2024
In November 2024, The Royal Academy of Arts hosted a lecture sponsored by The Rothschild Foundation.
In this lecture, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explored how she came to write and gives personal insight into her work and writing process.
Watch a clip from the lecture here:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an award-winning author whose work has been translated into over thirty languages. Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003), won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), won the Orange Prize. Her 2013 novel Americanah won the US National Book Critics Circle Award. Her most recent work, Notes On Grief, an essay about losing her father, was published in 2021.
Her TED talk The Danger of A Single Story in 2009 and TEDx Euston talk We Should All Be Feminists in 2012 have been viewed by millions across the world. Adichie was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2015. In 2017, Fortune Magazine named her one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.
The Rothschild Foundation Chair, Hannah Rothschild CBE, awarded a damehood in the King’s Birthday Honours list
17 June 2024
Our grant programmes
Schools Access Fund
The Rothschild Foundation and Waddesdon Manor jointly run a Schools Access Fund offering grants to cover the costs of school trips to the manor and gardens. We want to encourage new audiences to experience Waddesdon and to take part in the Learning Team’s programme.
Grants of up to £1,000 are available for transport and staff costs, workshop fees and National Trust Education Group Access Pass for your school.
- Pupils from all year groups are welcome.
- Suitable for Pre-schools, Maintained and Academy schools, Pupil Referral Units and SEND schools.
- School groups are offered a facilitator-led, interactive, curriculum linked workshop.
- Visits take place between 10am until 2pm during term time.
- Schools are welcome to apply for funding twice within our financial year (March-February) dependent on funding availability.
Since opening in May 2021, the Schools Access Fund has awarded more than £81,000 enabling 112 local schools visits to Waddesdon.
Apply anytime through our online portal. You will hear within 12 weeks if your application has been successful.
Applications should be made by the recipient of the funding i.e. the school, Parent Teacher Association or other charity connected to the school.
Schools Access Fund budget is limited so please only apply for what your school needs.
“This visit was a fantastic opportunity to take a group to visit somewhere they might not have the chance to see. The session was adapted by the team to be suitable for the age group, and both children and adults felt they came away having learned something new. ” Twyford Church of England School
Available Workshops
primary schools
Take a look at our range of lessons and activities for primary school students.
secondary schools
A whole day workshop, with a tour of the house, looking at how Waddesdon functions as a major tourist attraction. There’s a chance to look at how visitors use our facilities, what promotional materials and techniques we use, and how we employ the local community. Pupils will also be able to tour the grounds independently, finding out more from members of staff and the public.
Revolution!
An in-depth tour of the house focusing on the objects in the collection relating to the French Revolution. There’s a chance to examine promotion and favour in the Ancient Regime by looking at the petition of Gabriel de Saint-Aubin; explore the opulence and grandeur of the courts of Louis XV and Louis XVI; and look at prints from the entire span of the Revolution up until 1800.
Communications & culture
A half-day workshop looking at objects of desire. A chance to get an in-depth tour of the house, with a focus on how Waddesdon’s collection is relevant to theories of conspicuous consumption. Pupils will look at theorists including Veblen, the Frankfurt School, Bernays and De Certeau.
Careers at Waddesdon
We can now offer a full-day workshop for secondary pupils, focusing on the jobs an organisation like Waddesdon has on offer. Students can meet members of staff from different teams, take part in mock interviews, and have a tour of the site.
teachers
Self-led and bespoke sessions
Waddesdon is available all year round for self-led visits, where you can explore our grounds, including our Aviary and Woodland Playground. Entry is free with Education Group Membership.
Fancy a visit but none of our workshops quite hit the spot? We will happily write a bespoke session for you to fit in with your topic. We have delivered sessions on subjects as varied as the Titanic, India and Circles, so the possibilities are endless!
FURTHER INFORMATION
Your school must be based in Buckinghamshire (not Milton Keynes).
Schools must be state funded. Non-selective schools are prioritised.
We’ll ask you to share feedback on your schools’ visit as it helps improve our grant-making and develops what’s offered to schools.
The Rothschild Foundation
Windmill Hill
Silk Street
Waddesdon
HP18 0JZ