Corporate Social Responsibility: What is the JLR Foundation?

JLR has launched a charitable foundation dedicated to empowering children and young people to reach their full potential and catalyse positive social and environmental change. 

The JLR Foundation is set to officially launch in the UK later in 2025 and eventually expand globally. 

Andrea Debbane, Chief Sustainability Officer at JLR and JLR Foundation Trustee, says: “At JLR, we have a long history of innovation, transformation and creating aspirational products because of the talented people who work and thrive in our business. 

“Today’s young minds are tomorrow’s engineers, designers and innovators. And they are the leaders and creators of our future society.

“We want to help unlock aspiration and potential in all children and young people, many of whom miss out because they don’t know opportunities exist, or they don’t have the self-belief or means to try. 

“By removing barriers and providing access to the right skills, knowledge and opportunities, they can all play their part in building an exceptional and sustainable future.” 

How the JLR Foundation works

JLR is donating millions to the Foundation, pledging up to £2.5m (US$3.16m) to support its charitable work in the first year. 

The funding is planned to increase annually as the JLR Foundation grows. 

Laura Brown, formerly CEO of PEAS, an education-focused charity in Africa, will lead the foundation as its director. 

The foundation's board of trustees, made up of JLR executives and external experts, brings a wealth of experience in supporting charitable initiatives.

Its first four trustees appointed are Andrea Debbane, Chief Sustainability Officer, Chris Thorp, Chief of Staff and Phoebe Leet, Global HR Director from JLR alongside François Dossa, Head of Sustainability Latin America at TCS.

How the Foundation fits with JLR

The foundation's establishment aligns with JLR's Reimagine strategy, which seeks to set new benchmarks in environmental and community impact for a luxury business. 

It also aligns with JLR’s parent company Tata that is affiliated with the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and other allied foundations. 

JLR has a long history of supporting its charity partners and employees to scale positive societal, environmental and community impact with a particular focus on youth and education. 

The foundation aims to build on JLR’s engagement directly with schools and communities to contribute to broader charitable work. 

JLR’s work supporting young people

The JLR Foundation is not the company’s first time supporting children and young people. 

JLR China has celebrated 10 years of its flagship youth programme, the Dream Fund. 

This is China’s first automotive charity fund dedicated to youth, in partnership with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. 

The programme launched in 2014 and JLR has invested almost £12m (US$15.2m), benefitting more than 700,000 young people in China’s most underprivileged areas. 

These efforts include rebuilding a rural school destroyed by an earthquake, now known as the JLR Hope School. 

JLR also promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics to young people. 

In the UK, the company's STEM Ambassador Programme has reached more than 100,000 students, supported by hundreds of JLR employees. 

The company aims to grow its ambassador base to 5,000, partnering with 2,500 schools globally by the end of 2029.

In Brazil, JLR is launching a new socio-environmental educational programme this year, offering immersive science classes for students aged 4 to 14 near its Itatiaia plant. This initiative aims to stimulate interest in science as a potential career path.

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