The King's Foundation
The King's Foundation is a charitable educational organization started in 1990 by King Charles III when he was the Prince of Wales. It aims to teach and demonstrate traditional urban design and architecture that places people and their communities at the center of the design process. The foundation is based at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, United Kingdom, and has worked on projects across the UK and the Commonwealth.
Over the years the organization has changed its name several times. It began as The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture (1990–2001), then The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment (2001–2012), The Prince's Foundation for Building Community (2012–2018), and The Prince's Foundation (2018–2023). It is now known as The King's Foundation.
The foundation has involved more than 8,000 people in about 100 projects, including university campuses, new towns, and the redevelopment of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, which opened in 2015. These projects have helped create thousands of jobs in the UK. It is part of the Prince's Charities group, with Charles serving as president of most of the charities.
In 2016, the Prince's Regeneration Trust merged with the foundation. The Perspectives on Architecture magazine ran from 1994 to 1998. In 2010 the foundation offered to take over a major design-arbiter role after the government cut funding to CABE. It has also helped rebuild areas of Port-au-Prince after the 2010 Haiti earthquake and refurbished historic buildings in Kabul and Kingston.
In 2023, as part of a loneliness-reduction initiative during cold weather, some royal properties including Highgrove House, Dumfries House, and the Castle of Mey were opened to the public to provide warm spaces. In 2024 the organization held its first awards, the King's Foundation Awards, across nine categories; Ban Ki-moon received the Harmony Award.
The foundation has faced donor-related controversies. From 2021 to 2023 there were investigations into payments to “fixers” and honours linked to donations; Michael Fawcett temporarily stepped down and later resigned as chief executive. The Charity Commission and the Metropolitan Police investigated, and in 2023 police announced no further action would be taken. A three-year probe by the Scottish Charity Regulator in January 2025 found no wrongdoing by Fawcett or trustees but said it was unacceptable that he did not inform colleagues about problems with funding and donations, and that the foundation was exposed to risk from some of his conduct. There have also been questions tied to property deals and other donors in the past.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:41 (CET).