An introduction to the Rank Foundation and the Rank Fellowship & the background to the link with Fundação Estudar
The Rank Foundation is a long established grant giving Charitable Trust, established thanks to the generosity of the late Lord Rank (‘J. Arthur Rank’) and it is one of the largest charities in the UK. A key factor in its overall strategy for granting funds has always been the importance of Leadership for the future of the United Kingdom. This led to a special programme of financial support for some Sixth Form students (aged 16 to 18), recommended by a select band of Independent (private) School Heads for their outstanding leadership potential and whose future Sixth Form place was endangered by financial problems in their families. For almost two decades, in keeping with the spirit of that age, the benefactor was anonymous and almost 750 people had no idea whatsoever who had helped them.
More recently, the Board decided to remove its anonymity and then, approaching the programme’s 25th anniversary, Fred Packard, the new Chairman, decided to try to make contact with all past Leadership Award holders – or ‘Fellows’ as they are now known – and invite them to join a Rank Fellowship to ‘help put something back into society’. This Fellowship was formally launched at a Dinner on 11 November 2003. It could number over 1,000 people, if all past Fellows can be contacted.
In its first two years, the Fellowship has concentrated its energies on trying to build links with former Fellows and develop a website as its principle communication tool.
It is trying to stress to its members the importance of making a contribution to society in one way or another, stressing in particular the rewards of volunteering in charitable activities. Longer term, it will be strengthened by a recent decision of the Rank Foundation, the Fellowship’s parent Board, to require all its Leadership Award holders to spend two weeks for each year of their Award working as a volunteer in a not-for-profit organisation, usually one of the Youth or Community Associations known well to the Foundation. Some of the reports of these students can be seen on the Fellowship website www.rankfellowship.org.
Fred Packard, who became Chairman of the Rank Foundation in 2000, is the late Lord Rank’s eldest grandson. He emigrated to Brazil in 1972 after graduating from Cambridge University, and has been a partner of Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Beto Sicupira for the last 30 years. Fred’s idea to locate past Fellows, and encourage them to work together for the general betterment of society, was very much inspired by the work and success of the Fundação Estudar, which he has closely followed since its inception.
For further information please see the website
www.rankfellowship.org or www.rankfoundation.com
or contact David McCausland (Fellow) david.mccausland@stanleyhicks.co.uk 020 7248 0241
or the Fellowship Administrator Tim Young.