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 charity set up in September 1997. It was created after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales to continue her important work helping people. The fund helped people in the United Kingdom and in other countries. It officially closed at the end of 2012.
Contents
How the Fund Started and Got Money
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund began just days after Princess Diana passed away on August 31, 1997. Many people wanted to help and sent donations to Kensington Palace.
Ordinary people, community groups, and companies gave £34 million. Another £38 million came from sales of the song "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John. Later, £66 million more was raised through investments and special events. This included money from an exhibition called Diana: A Celebration.
What the Fund Did
For fifteen years, the Fund worked to make life better for people who were struggling. It did this by giving money to other charities, supporting important causes, and using its name to help.
For its first ten years (1997–2006), the Fund mainly gave grants based on specific rules. It spent over £60 million helping people who had been forced to leave their homes. It also helped those on the edges of society, people affected by conflict, and those who were very ill or had lost loved ones.
In 2006, the Fund decided to focus its remaining money on specific projects. It announced in 2007 that it would close within five to nine years. This new plan included several 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 programs aimed to create lasting positive changes. They wanted to improve policies, practices, and public attitudes. This way, the good work would continue long after the Fund closed.
Helping with Palliative Care
The Fund started its Palliative Care Initiative in 2000. This program worked in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. These countries were Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
By 2006, the Fund had given 60 grants totaling over £2.5 million. This money went to organizations helping people with palliative care. Palliative care is special care for people with serious illnesses, focusing on comfort and quality of life.
From 2007 to 2012, the Fund planned to spend another £10 million on this initiative. It focused on:
- Helping to include palliative care in health policies.
- Making sure palliative care was taught in medical and nursing schools.
- Supporting groups that offered more palliative care services for children.
Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Between 1999 and 2007, the Fund gave over £6 million to about 40 organizations. These groups helped young refugees and children seeking asylum. Refugees are people who have fled their home country due to war or persecution. Asylum seekers are people who have asked for protection in another country.
Under its 2007–2012 plan, the Fund promised another £10 million. This money supported work to ensure refugees and asylum seekers in the UK were treated fairly and according to international law.
The initiative focused on:
- Supporting groups that spoke up for people seeking protection in the UK.
- Starting a group of charities working to create a more balanced public discussion about migration.
- Helping organizations that worked with refugee children to ensure they received proper care.
- Funding legal help for children and young people seeking asylum.
Some individuals, like Sir Andrew Green and Norman Tebbit, expressed different opinions about this initiative.
Campaigning Against Cluster Munitions
In 2007, the Fund started the Cluster Munitions Initiative. This built on its earlier support for the campaign against cluster bombs. Cluster bombs are weapons that release many smaller bombs over a wide area.
This initiative focused on three main areas:
- Supporting the worldwide campaign to ban cluster bombs.
- Helping national campaigns to ban cluster bombs in different countries.
- Supporting the Ban Advocates Initiative. This was a group of ordinary people affected by cluster bombs who campaigned for a global ban.
Working for Penal Reform
The Penal Reform Initiative started under the Fund's 2007–2012 plan. Its goal was to encourage other solutions instead of imprisonment. It focused on two groups who are often vulnerable in the justice system: women and young people.
In 2007, the Fund gave over £1.5 million to the Prison Reform Trust. This money supported a five-year campaign called Out of Trouble. The campaign aimed to reduce the number of children and young people in custody.
Between 1997 and 2007, the number of women in prison more than doubled. 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 criminal justice system.
The Fund's Closure
In 2006, after looking at its work, the Fund decided it would be most effective to focus its remaining money. It wanted 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.
Even after closing, the Fund could still receive donations. To make sure any future money continued to help people, The Royal Foundation became the legal owner of the Fund in March 2013. This helped protect the Fund's name and ensure any new donations went to charity.
In July 2020, reports said that money from the memorial fund was divided between Princes William and Harry. This money was then given to their own charities.
