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.

Our programmes

  • Total awarded since 2002:
    $
    billion
    Our giving by programme
    Preserving endangered culture
    %
    $m
    Protecting endangered nature
    %
    $m
    Promoting open access
    %
    $m
    Discretionary
    %
    $m
    • Dr Lisbet Rausing
      Co-Founder

      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 served on the Cambridge Conservation Initiative Advisory Board from 2012 to 2022.

    • 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.

    • Dr Simon Chaplin
      Chief Executive Officer

      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 Simon Chaplin
    • 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.

      Arthur dudney
    • 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 Mike Heyworth
    • 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.

      03 Gerardo Fragosoa
    • Dr Francesca McGrath
      Environmental Grants Manager

      Francesca manages Arcadia’s environmental grants, alongside Gerardo, Catherine 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.

      06 Francesca Mc Grath
    • Dr Catherine Docherty
      Environmental Grants Manager

      Catherine manages Arcadia’s environmental grants, alongside Gerardo, Francesca and Emma. She previously worked in project design, impact evaluation and learning at Fauna & Flora International and research development at the University of Cambridge. She holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and was a postdoctoral researcher at Shinshu University, Japan. Her research focused on the impact of a changing climate on Arctic and Alpine river systems. Catherine also holds an MSc in Conservation Biology from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.

      My project 1 2
    • 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.

      07 EMMA Mac Intosh
    • 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.

      04 Ross Mounce
    • Dr Christine Ferguson
      Consultant to Open Access Programmes

      Christine works as a consultant as part of the open access team. She specializes in scholarly communications, and works with a range of organizations promoting open research. Christine previously served as joint chief editor of the open access journal, PLOS Biology, and was involved in open data management at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. She holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town in cell biology.

      Christine website
    • 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.

      09 Andrew
    • 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.

      10 Tami Shacham
    • Lucy Bromley
      Operations and Communications Officer

      Lucy works with Tami and Sofia on Arcadia and Lund Trust's operations and communications. 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.

      11 Lucy Bromley
    • Sofia Sancho
      Operations Assistant

      Sofia works with Tami and Lucy on Arcadia and Lund Trust's operations and communications. She has a bachelor's degree in Human Sciences from University College London.

      My project 2
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