Educational Wealth Fund

The Educational Wealth Fund (EWF) is the UK’s first national endowment fund that has been set up to provide children with inspirational, creative and empowering learning environments.

The EWF aims to provide schools with the ideas and resources that they need to become creative, imaginative spaces where children will be challenged, inspired and enthused about the world they live in and the part they can play in it.

Sir Peter Birkett, founding Chairman of EWF, has many years of experience and a great wealth of knowledge in the education sector. Among his many achievements, Sir Peter pioneered the UK’s first FE College-led Multi Academy Trust; held three CEO and Principal positions in both the state and independent sectors; and spent time as a government advisor.

Under Sir Peter’s leadership, the Educational Wealth Fund will continue with its mission to create and maintain learning environments that are both life-affirming and effective. The EWF understands that a successful education system relies on the quality of its teachers, and so the fund works with schools to help them to attract and retain the best teaching talent available.

One of the main priorities of the EWF is sustainability, and as such the endowment fund works to create schools that are bastions of environmental guardianship, as well as promoting a strong connection to the environment, nature and wildlife for every child. An awareness of – and sensitivity towards – issues relating to mental health is one of the key priorities of the EWF, which believe that its schools should provide for a child’s wellbeing in addition to their educational needs. The Educational Wealth Fund understands that mental wellbeing and academic success are not mutually exclusive.

The EWF also believes in the power of the creative arts and promotes the inclusion of creative and artistic endeavours. The benefits of the creative arts are well-established, including cognitive improvements and an improved sense of health and wellbeing. Fulfilling and emotionally rewarding creative opportunities are fundamental to the EWF, which hopes to encourage the next generation of talent in the creative industries.

Additionally, the EWF hopes to promote a generation of peace-building citizens who are equipped with the skills and knowledge to effectively resolve conflict. The EWF also works to build a heightened awareness of culture, celebrating the variety and beauty of each child’s local culture and heritage, as well as educating pupils about the opportunities and complexities of our globalised world.