- email: admin@barcapelfoundation.org - telephone: 01475 521616 -
Registered in Scotland
: NO 36795
History of The Barcapel Foundation :
The existence and wealth of the Barcapel Foundation as it is today is thanks to the sale of a family business. Scottish Animal Products manufactured petfoods, and was a relatively recent addition to the activities of Robert Wilson & Sons (1859) Limited, but after a period of spectacular growth in the 1950s when the two main brands Kennomeat and Kattomeat achieved a 20% share of the market, the company was sold to rival manufacturers, Spillers, in 1964.
- The Clement Wilson Foundation
- R Clement Wilson, the chairman of the company, established the Clement Wilson Foundation in 1965 with funds provided by the Clement Wilson Trust. The aims and objectives of the Barcapel Foundation today are very closely linked with the original charitable ambitions of the Clement Wilson Foundation.
- The Truth Research Foundation
- Also in 1965, Clement Wilson's brother, Andrew Wilson, established the Truth Research Foundation with funds from the sale of the family business. In line with Andrew Wilson's pioneering philosophies, the Truth Research Foundation was a visionary charity with ambitions well ahead of its time, particularly in the field of integrated health and complementary medicine.
- The Barcapel Foundation
In 1994 Barcapel was formed by combining the assets of the Wilforge Foundation (the Clement Wilson Foundation had been renamed) and the Truth Research Foundation. The Wilson family remains actively involved in the charitable distribution of the wealth.
Clement Wilson's eldest son, Robert (Dickie) Wilson chaired the foundation from its incorporation until his untimely death in 2006. The current chairman of Barcapel, also called Robert, is Dickie's eldest son and Robert Clement Wilson's eldest grandchild.
Since 1965 the Wilson family have distributed over £30 million to causes in Scotland and beyond through the Barcapel, Clement Wilson, Wilforge and Truth Research foundations.
Barcapel People :
The Board of Trustees
Robert Wilson, Chairman - Robert was appointed Chairman in 2006. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, has attended Harvard Business School, and has enjoyed a long and successful career in homeopathic medicine, as Managing Director and now Chairman of Nelsons. In addition to his role with Barcapel, Robert is on the board of the Prince's Trust for Integrated Health, the Scottish Civic Trust and Prostate Scotland. He is also a governor of Kilgraston School.
James Wilson OBE OStJ - Jimmy is an MBA graduate from Harvard. A trustee of the family foundations since 1970, in his business career he held numerous senior positions in Robert Wilson & Sons. Now retired, he oversees the day to day running and administration of the foundation. A long standing supporter of Scotland's heritage, he is actively involved in the National Trust for Scotland. He was awarded an OBE in 1984 for "charitable activity in Scotland".
Andrew Wilson - Andrew also brings over 30 years experience to the board of Barcapel; after his time in the family business he involved himself in a diverse array of activities, and as such his career has involved selling petfoods, paintings and plants.
Jed Wilson - Jed has a BA in Humanistic Studies from McGill University. He currently works in Sales & Marketing for Expedia, prior to which he ran his own luxury travel business for a decade. He has been a trustee of Barcapel since 1996 and also sits on the board of The Anne Frank Trust UK.
Clement Wilson - Clement joined the board in 2002. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a full time writer and journalist and the author of two books, and is keenly supportive of artistic and literary charitable endeavours, particularly amongst the young.
Niall Scott - Niall has been a Trustee since 2002, bringing extensive managerial, as well as legal, experience to the board. He is a partner of McGrigors, the UK law firm, and a company director and trustee of two other not for profit organisations in addition to Barcapel. He also chairs the fundraising committee for Scottish Ballet's new headquarters development.
Secretary
Moira Givens - Moira takes care of the day to day administration of the foundation. Prior to joining Barcapel she worked for the NHS in an administrative capacity for many years. She is the first point of contact for all dealings with Barcapel and is available by telephone on 01475 521616 or email: moira@barcapelfoundation.org, Monday - Wednesday, 10am - 4.30pm.
Assessors
Every donation over £15,000 is evaluated by a team of assessors who operate independently from the board making recommendations based on their own judgements and findings.
- Anne Wadsworth (Health)
- Sir James Dunbar Nasmith (Heritage)
- David Sutherland (Youth)
What Barcapel Supports :
- Our three priority areas of interest for funding are health, heritage and youth.
HEALTH - all areas of medicine and healing are supported by the foundation, with a particular interest in complementary and alternative therapies.
HERITAGE - we are committed to preserving and protecting our artistic and cultural heritage, especially with reference to the built environment.
YOUTH - the foundation supports all areas of development for young people especially those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Most Recent Awards: (external links)
The National Trust for Scotland
- To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns in 2009, the National Trust for Scotland is raising £20 million to create the Burns National Heritage Park. The extensive project, on the site of the existing museum at Burns Cottage in Alloway, will provide a considerably more informative and rewarding visitor experience than currently available as well as being a lasting tribute to Robert Burns. The Barcapel Trustees were impressed by the professionalism of the NTS as well as the ambition, scale and importance of the project and consequently awarded the substantial grant of £200,000.00.
- Depression Alliance Scotland is working towards a future where depression is recognised, understood and acknowledged to be a common and treatable medical condition, just like any other. Barcapel has funded this charity in the past agreeing with the excellent work of DAS in raising awareness of an illness which often goes undiagnosed, and on this occasion the Trustees approved a further grant of £55,000.00
- Class Act is the Traverse Theatre's flagship education project for children aged 12-18. The project gives school pupils the unique opportunity to experience the entire process of the creation of a piece of theatre - from planning to writing to performance. The Trustees were not only impressed by the substantial educational benefits of Class Act, but also the evident personal development benefits to the children. Barcapel decided to become the lead funder awarding a grant of £15,000.00
Document Downloads (pdf) :
Application Process
- notes and flow chart diagram illustrating the various stages of the grant application process.
Grant Application Form
- to apply for a grant, in the first instance please download this form, complete it concisely and return it with a covering letter to Barcapel HQ.