The trust that was formed in memory of the late philanthropist Julia Rausing will merge with its sister organisation, enabling the latter to double the amount its annual giving to £100m.

The Julia Rausing Trust was formed earlier this year as the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust’s sister organisation, after she died in April at the age of 63. 

The couple co-founded the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust in 2014 to facilitate their giving. During Julia Rausing’s life, she donated £335m to UK charities through the grantmaker. 

When it was launched in July, the Julia Rausing Trust pledged to distribute £100m in its first year, but a spokesperson told Third Sector that it was expected to wind down after this year.

At a memorial for the philanthropist yesterday it was announced that the two trusts would be merging under the name Julia Rausing Trust from 2025, enabling the organisation to distribute £100m per year to charities – double the annual amount currently distributed by the couple’s existing organisation.

The organisations said: “The increased funding comes at a time where opportunities for charities have been diminished through a number of other funding streams pausing or closing due to overwhelming demand or strategic review.”

The merged organisation will be under Julia Rausing’s name, with her husband choosing to continue his giving solely under her name to honour her memory and build on her philanthropic legacy.

A spokesperson for the trusts said that the renamed trust would also “clarify the giving” and have a “streamlined benefit to some administrative functions”.

Details of the grants available from the merged organisation are yet to be announced, but the spokesperson said that future giving would continue to focus on UK causes across the arts, welfare and education.

The spokesperson said: “Grant sizes will remain from low thousand pound grants to multimillion pound major donations.”

In the past, the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust has run open application programmes, including an £18m charity survival fund in 2020 to help charities during the pandemic and a £66.5m youth centre recovery fund in 2021, which was launched to help youth centres continue their services following the pandemic.

Simon Fourmy, director of the Julia Rausing Trust, said: “Uniting these two trust funds under Julia Rausing’s name acknowledges the leading role she played in directing our philanthropic giving over many years. 

“The increase in annual giving will benefit many charities in the years to come, building on Julia’s significant contribution to UK society and continuing to honour her memory.”

Speaking at the memorial service for Julia Rausing where the merger was announced, Orlando Fraser, chair of the Charity Commission, praised her “incredible philanthropic legacy”. 

Fraser said: “Julia understood the unique and hugely important role philanthropy can make to society. As John Townsend of the Prince’s Trust has said: ‘Julia was a visionary philanthropist, displaying exceptional generosity to the communities that mattered to her most…I know she would have been enormously proud that her funding will change the prospects of thousands of young people who need her help.’”