Humanities education and research

Supporting education and research in the humanities and broadening educational opportunity

Humanities education and research

The flourishing of democratic societies depends greatly on the humanities: the formation of young people who are capable – with intellectual rigour, critical-mindedness and empathy – of making sense of the past and applying it to the challenges of the future.

Education is more than merely being taught skills and receiving knowledge. It should also be an opportunity to nourish and enrich oneself, intellectually and spiritually; to engage with new ideas, challenge assumptions, and develop a philosophy of life.

We support research in the humanities at significant academic institutions, educational initiatives to inspire young people about the humanities, and the broadening of educational opportunity. Projects that we have supported include the Seminar in Advanced Jewish Studies at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, scholarships for students of Ethiopian heritage at top Israeli universities, Classics for All’s programme for teaching Latin in primary schools, and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Associate Schools programme.

Humanities education and research projects

Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences

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Polonsky Prizes for Creativity and Originality in the Humanistic Disciplines

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Polonsky-Coexist Lecturer in Jewish Studies at Cambridge University

 

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“Shakespeare Uncovered”

 

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Cultural heritage and digitisation

We are excited by the extraordinary opportunities afforded by digitisation. We support major libraries in making the riches of their collections available to researchers and the wider public in innovative and attractive ways.

Excellence and innovation in the arts

We aim to encourage engagement with ideas and a broader and more informed public conversation about values. We support arts organisations in developing new cultural work and bringing it to wider audiences.