In 2012 the Racing Foundation was established to oversee the distribution of funds to charitable causes within the racing and thoroughbred industry following the sale of the Tote.
The Racing Foundation aims to make a difference to the horseracing and thoroughbred breeding industry by supporting charitable work that contributes towards positive change in four key areas: people, equine welfare, community engagement and environment and emerging issues.
By offering an open grants programme three times a year, investigating pro-active funding initiatives to address issues faced by the industry and by offering a range of organisational support opportunities to racing charities, it aims to deliver on its purpose of making a difference in racing by acting as a catalyst and a funder of improvement.
The Racing Foundation was set up with an endowment from the net proceeds of the UK government’s sale of the Tote with the principle aim of supporting charitable purposes associated with the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry. It does this by investing funds to generate investment income and using the income to make grants to appropriate charities.
The British Horseracing Authority, The Thoroughbred Group and the Racecourse Association are the founding members of the Racing Foundation.