After almost 20 years in operation, we have made the difficult decision to begin a planned sunset of the Maitri Trust.  We currently expect this phase to take place over the next two years, with final closure of the Trust in April 2028.

This decision follows recent changes to our funding, announced in November.  Over the past four months, we have worked carefully to understand the impact of those changes and what they mean for our future.  Exploring a range of possible paths forward, we have carried out extensive analysis and consultation with our Trustees, peers and others across the sector.  Following this period of reflection, we believe a planned and intentional sunset is the best way to honour Maitri’s founding purpose and ensure our remaining resources deliver meaningful, lasting change for children.

Sunsetting a foundation is a profound responsibility.  We are committed to approaching this next phase with thoughtfulness and care, particularly for our existing partners and our staff team.  We will also continue to comply with our regulatory obligations throughout this period.  While this is not the future we envisaged, we believe it offers an opportunity to work with urgency, clarity and focus to direct our remaining funds where they can have the greatest long-term impact.

To help us do this well, we will not consider requests for new or additional funding during this transition, including from organisations we already support.

Once again, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our donor of almost 20 years, Stewart Investors, who entrusted more than £74.5 million to us since founding Maitri in 2006.  During this final phase, we are determined to use the rest of those funds to shape a legacy that continues improving children’s learning long after our final grant is made.

More information:

Read the update from our CEO following changes to our funding in November 2025