Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund facts for kids
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| Formation | September 1997 |
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| Dissolved | December 2012 |
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Area served
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United Kingdom and overseas |
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was a special organization created in September 1997. It was set up after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales to continue her important work helping people in the United Kingdom and around the world. This organization was a registered charity, meaning it was officially recognized to do good work. The Fund finished its operations at the end of 2012.
Contents
How the Fund Started and Got Money
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, often called 'the Fund', began just days after Princess Diana passed away on August 31, 1997. Many people wanted to help, so donations quickly came in to Kensington Palace.
- The public, community groups, and companies gave £34 million.
- Sales of the song "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John and PolyGram brought in £38 million.
- Later, another £66 million was raised through investments, special partnerships, and money from an exhibition called Diana: A Celebration. This money was donated by Lord Spencer.
What the Fund Did
For fifteen years, the Fund worked to make lasting improvements in the lives of people who needed help the most. This included people in the UK and all over the world. They did this by giving money, supporting important causes, and using their name to help charities.
Early Years: Helping Many Causes
From 1997 to 2006, the Fund mostly gave grants based on certain rules. They created different grant programs each year. Any organization that met the requirements could apply for money. During these first ten years, the Fund spent over £60 million. This money helped:
- People who had to leave their homes.
- People who were struggling in society.
- Survivors of conflicts.
- Those who were very ill or had lost loved ones.
Later Years: Focused Programs
In 2006, after talking with many charities, the Fund decided to change its approach. They chose to focus their remaining money on specific programs for a limited time. In 2007, they announced they would stop operating within five to nine years. They launched a new five-year plan with special programs called Initiatives:
- The Palliative Care Initiative.
- The Refugee and Asylum Seekers Initiative.
- The Partnership Initiative, which later split into two: The Cluster Munitions Initiative and The Penal Reform Initiative.
Each of these Initiatives aimed to create lasting positive changes. They wanted to improve policies, practices, and public attitudes. This way, the good changes would continue long after the Fund closed.
The Palliative Care Initiative
This Initiative started in 2000. It worked in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. By 2006, the Fund had given 60 grants, totaling over £2.5 million, to organizations helping people with palliative care. Palliative care helps people with serious illnesses feel more comfortable.
From 2007 to 2012, the Palliative Care Initiative planned to spend another £10 million. It focused on:
- Helping to make palliative care a part of official health policies.
- Making sure palliative care was taught in medical and nursing schools.
- Supporting groups that offered more palliative care services for children.
The Refugee and Asylum Seekers Initiative
Between 1999 and 2007, the Fund gave over £6 million to about 40 organizations. These groups helped young refugees and children seeking asylum. The Fund promised another £10 million for 2007–2012. This money supported work to ensure refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK were treated fairly and kindly.
This Initiative focused on:
- Supporting groups that spoke up for and campaigned to improve the lives of people seeking protection in the UK.
- Starting a group of charities working to create a more balanced public discussion about migration and asylum.
- Helping organizations that worked with refugee children to ensure they received proper care and protection.
- Funding work to provide special legal help for children seeking asylum.
The Cluster Munitions Initiative
In 2007, the Fund started the Cluster Munitions Initiative. This built on their earlier support for the campaign against cluster bombs. Cluster bombs are dangerous weapons that spread many smaller bombs.
This Initiative focused on three main areas:
- Supporting the worldwide campaign to ban cluster bombs.
- Supporting national campaigns in different countries to ban these bombs.
- Supporting the Ban Advocates Initiative. This group was made up of ordinary people from around the world who had been affected by cluster bombs. They campaigned for a global ban.
The Penal Reform Initiative
This Initiative was set up to find better solutions than imprisonment for two groups who are often vulnerable: women and young people.
In 2007, the Fund gave over £1.5 million to the Prison Reform Trust. This money helped run a five-year campaign called Out of Trouble. Its goal was to reduce the number of children and young people in custody.
Between 1997 and 2007, the number of women in prison more than doubled. Like young people, most were there for non-violent crimes. In 2008, the Fund joined the Corston Independent Funders' Coalition (CIFC). This group of charities and donors worked to change how disadvantaged women were treated by the justice system.
The Fund Closes
In 2006, after reviewing its work, the Fund decided it would be most effective to focus its remaining money on specific projects. These projects aimed to create lasting improvements for disadvantaged people. The decision to close within five to nine years was announced in 2007.
On December 31, 2012, the Fund officially closed its daily operations. It had successfully completed its programs to improve the lives of people in need around the world.
Even after closing, the Fund could still receive donations. To make sure any future money would still go to charity, The Royal Foundation became the legal owner of the Fund in March 2013. This protected the Fund's name and ensured any new donations would continue to help people.
In July 2020, it was reported that money from the memorial fund was shared between Princes William and Harry. This money was then given to their own charities.
