Arcadia supports work to preserve endangered cultural heritage, protect endangered ecosystems, and promote access to knowledge. Our aim is to defend the complexity of human culture and the natural world, so that coming generations can build a vibrant, resilient and green future.
With our ten partners at the Protecting our Planet Challenge we have jointly committed at least $1 billion for the creation, expansion and management of marine protected areas. This commitment is roughly equal to all philanthropic giving for marine protected areas and habitat over the past decade.
With Indigenous peoples and local communities playing a critical role in protecting nature, we have joined a funders commitment to support and advance their efforts and rights.
We have joined eight private funders in a new commitment to secure a sustainable future for nature, climate and people. Together, we are pledging a total of $5 billion over the next 10 years, and are calling others to join us in our commitment to protect and conserve at least 30% of the planet's most important areas for biodiversity by 2030.
As the UK prepares for a crucial year for environmental policy, Arcadia founders, Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, join a call for greater support for environmental causes from donors and foundations.
Abundant, diverse and healthy marine ecosystems are crucial for all life on Earth. This is why almost 30% of the total giving in our environment programme, more than $70 million in grants since 2002, has supported work to protect the world’s oceans. This blog highlights some of this work.
Public.Resource.Org is dedicated to publishing and sharing public domain materials that legally and morally should be free, but are locked behind paywalls.
The climate crisis requires us to rethink, change, adapt and act, because business as usual is no longer an option. Read about out work towards running Arcadia’s operations in a more environmentally sustainable way.
Co-founder of Arcadia. Lisbet did her BA at UC Berkeley and her PhD at Harvard University, where she was a lecturer and assistant professor in the history of science. Lisbet also supports family companies such as Ecolean, a liquid food packaging company, and Ingleby Farms, a farming company. Outside boards and committees have included the Harvard Board of Overseers and Yad Hanadiv Advisory Committee. She currently serves on the Cambridge Conservation Initiative Advisory Board.
Professor Peter Baldwin
Co-Founder
Co-founder of Arcadia and chairman of the Donor and Advisory Boards. Peter is professor of history at UCLA and Global Distinguished Professor at NYU. He is a member of the board of the New York Public Library, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Wikimedia Endowment, and chair of the board at the Center for Jewish History. Peter has written books on the history of the welfare state, of copyright, and of public health, including one on the covid epidemic. He has a book on open access appearing in 2023.
Simon is Arcadia’s CEO. He was previously Director of Culture & Society at the Wellcome Trust and Director of Wellcome Collection. He is a biologist-turned-historian and has served on the boards of several research-focused organizations including Research Libraries UK, the British Society for the History of Science and the Society for the History of Natural History.
Dr Arthur Dudney
Director of Cultural Programmes
Arthur manages Arcadia’s cultural grants. He was previously a research fellow at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and a teaching fellow at SOAS. He holds a PhD from Columbia University’s Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, and an AB from Princeton University’s Department of Classics.
Dr Mike Heyworth
Consultant to Cultural Programmes
Mike works as a consultant as part of the culture team. He is an archaeologist by training and was previously the executive director of the Council for British Archaeology. He is now a consultant working with a range of archaeology and heritage groups across the UK. He holds a PhD from the University of Bradford in archaeological science.
Dr Gerardo Fragoso
Director of Environmental Programmes
Gerardo heads Arcadia’s environmental programme. He was previously Head of Programme at the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, where he was responsible for overseeing the provision of advice to national and intergovernmental authorities on the protection of endangered species and their habitats. A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Gerardo’s professional and academic experience span marine and terrestrial conservation, both in tropical and in temperate environments. He is also a qualified financial manager.
Dr Ross Mounce
Director of Open Access Programmes
Ross manages Arcadia’s open access grants. He was previously a postdoc in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, a Software Sustainability Fellow, and a Panton Fellow for open data in science. Ross gained his doctorate at the University of Bath, where his thesis focused on the role of morphology in analyses of evolutionary relationships that include fossil species.
Dr Francesca McGrath
Environmental Grants Manager
Francesca manages Arcadia’s environmental grants, alongside Gerardo and Emma. Trained as a conservation scientist, she has international experience in coupled human-natural systems in Southeast Asia, US, UK, and wildlife trade in the Middle East. Francesca was previously a research fellow in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Her PhD from the National University of Singapore explored incentive-based conservation programmes in Indonesia. She also holds an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics.
Dr Emma McIntosh
Consultant to Environmental Programmes
Emma works as a consultant as part of the environment team. She specializes in marine conservation, programme design and impact evaluation. Emma previously worked with the Great British Oceans coalition, Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership and the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. Emma holds a DPhil in conservation science from the University of Oxford.
Andrew Wright
Director of Lund Trust
Andrew leads Peter and Lisbet’s personal giving through Lund Trust, Arcadia's sister charity. He previously worked for Cripplegate Foundation, a charitable trust in North London. Andrew has an MA in Aegean archaeology and an MSc in Philanthropy, Grantmaking and Social Investment.
Tami Shacham
Chief Operating Officer
Tami heads Arcadia’s operations and communications. She previously worked at Yad Hanadiv, a Rothschild family foundation. Tami has a master’s degree in culture studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Lucy Bromley
Operations and Communications Officer
Lucy works with Tami on Arcadia and Lund Trust's operations and communications work. She previously worked at Sotheby’s, an international fine art auction house. Lucy has a master’s degree in History of Art from the University of Edinburgh.