Arcadia helps people to record cultural heritage, to conserve and restore nature, and to promote open access to knowledge. We want future generations to enjoy the diversity of human culture and the natural world.
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Who we are
Arcadia is a family philanthropy. It was founded by Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin in 2002. We are led by our donor board and supported by an expert advisory board and a small London-based team.
Our funding areas
Conserving and restoring nature
We want nature to survive and flourish. Our grants support solutions to the global biodiversity and climate crises.
Recording cultural heritage
We want future generations to have knowledge of the world’s cultural diversity. Our grants support digital documentation of cultural heritage which is poorly recorded and under threat.
Promoting open access
We want knowledge to be free for anyone, anywhere to access and use. Our grants help make knowledge available for free online, and help people find and use it
How we work
We make few, multi-year grants. We fund core costs, existing projects and develop partnerships to create new programmes. We build long-term relationships with our grant recipients. We replicate and expand successful projects and award repeat grants to continue outstanding work.
We don’t accept applications for funding but individuals and organizations can apply to programmes that we support.
Our grants
Since 2002 Arcadia has awarded $1.3 billion to organizations around the world.
Our grant recipients have ensured lasting support for millions of hectares of fragile ecosystems. They have created and shared hundreds of thousands of digital records of archives, languages, archaeological sites and craft practices. They have also overcome laws and commercial practices restricting access to publicly-funded research and government documents.
Highlights
06 March 2025
2024 annual summary
04 December 2024
The Preservation of Knowledge in the Digital Age
28 April 2024
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26 April 2024
Support for Ukraine
Top banner image: Río Tuichi in Madidi National Park, Bolivia. Courtesy of Omar Torrico, Wildlife Conservation Society.