Endowment
The expense of maintaining, heating and lighting a large, listed, building is huge. We need to continue to conserve and care for our heritage assets, including buildings, gardens and collections. This is an ongoing and costly process.
To ensure the future financial stability of Sulgrave Manor & Garden, the Trust is hoping to build an endowment with the aim of raising £10 million by 2030.
We have four key priority
areas for our funds
01
Care for and conserve the Manor.
Rising energy costs will only increase the financial burden on the Trust and regular repairs and renewals are costly.
02
Restore Sulgrave’s Grade II listed gardens to include designs of Sir Reginald Blomfield, RA, from the early 1920s, showcasing American plants and their impact on British gardens.
The Trust finances the gardens’ running costs, but our ambitions for new beds and borders, hedging and stonework, and equipment need donors’ support to implement.
03
Preserve America’s origins in the heart of a rural country.
Sharing the unique story of George Washington’s ancestral home, and how he was shaped by the Washington family values. Sulgrave tells a story about America’s origins in the heart of a rural country made rich by wool production and trading in Tudor England. We seek to expand the stories we tell about the lives of Lawrence Washington and his descendants at Sulgrave from 1539, to John Washington who emigrated to Virginia in 1631, and his great-grandson, George, who became the US’ first president. Donors’ support is vital in helping us share these stories with diverse audiences.
04
Use our stories and collections to inspire visitors to foster connection and collaboration.
Using the importance of the special relationship between America and Britain, co-operation between different people is still so important in today’s world and for the future. We seek to explore the challenges of understanding differences, helping us to work together to play full and active roles in our own communities.
Given the globally challenging times and a sense of divided societies in both the US and the UK, it seems timely that we should seek to place more emphasis on our role as the home of the Special Relationship and play a part in helping to bring people together, highlighting shared values and cultures and investigating our differences to promote tolerance, challenge perceptions and enhance collaboration.
If you would like to discuss endowment giving please contact Alison Ray, CEO by clicking here.