Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JR Memorial Trust)

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) was initially established as the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust with the objective of alleviating the conditions of working people by providing improved housing. Part of its endowment included the New Earswick garden village properties. In 1959 the trust changed its name to the Joseph Rowntree Memorial Trust and its powers were widened to enable it to support research into housing and social questions. The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust was created in 1968 as a separate housing organisation and took over responsibility for housing operations. In 1988 the trust was renamed the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and moved to the Homestead. Today the JRF is the one of the largest social policy research charities in the UK, working to transition to a future free from poverty.