Registered Charity
About us
Who we are
The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation, established in June 2020 (Charity Number 1191471), was set up to enable economically disadvantaged black British students to attend UK universities by providing full scholarships. Black British students are found to be under-represented at many of our universities, and individuals from affluent areas are five times more likely than those from deprived areas to attend a high-tariff university ranked in the top third by entry requirements. While many issues are at play in why more Black British students do not enter university – The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation aims to remove one fundamental obstacle – the financial cost of university education.
The Foundation has already allocated over 50 scholarships and maintains a busy annual schedule of activity across partner and scholarship management; fundraising, communications and governance. The charity is led by the founder, Professor Richard Oreffo, and the Trustees, with the support of a Project Manager.
Our culture and values
We work to create:
Better educational opportunities for Black British students will result in a more equitable, inclusive, diverse workforce.
More Black British professionals, leaders and change-makers to help create a more inclusive society.
More Black British academics ensuring scholarship is more reflective of the diversity of C.21 Britain.
A dismantling of barriers to Higher Education to improve opportunity for Black British students and improve social mobility.
Equality, diversity and inclusion policy
Our vision is for a more equitable society and more diverse future leaders.
