Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s Archewell foundation brought in some huge donations during its first two years of operation.
The charity released its first impact report on Sunday, revealing that it has raised $13 million since its formation in early 2020 and has given away $3 million to causes of particular importance to the two royals, including vaccine equity, supporting women-owned small businesses, and aiding with Afghan and Ukrainian refugee relief centers and resettlement. According to the report, that money has gone to providing 12.66 million COVID-19 vaccines through their partnership with Global Citizen, helping resettle 174,497 refugees through their work with Operations Allies Welcome and Welcome.US, serving 50,000 meals to the hungry with World Central Kitchen, rescuing 7,468 individuals from Afghanistan through a partnership with Human First Coalition, supporting 13 academic fellows at the Institute for Rebooting Social Media at Harvard University, creating a guide on “fostering positive masculinity,” and building a play space in Uvalde, Texas following the school shooting there.
In the opening letter from the foundation’s co-executive directors, James Holt and Shauna Nep, they write, “We believe that philanthropic work is more than a handout, it’s a hand held. To activate this belief, we independently create dynamic and impactful programming to serve communities in need. We also partner with key organizations and leaders to identify immediate needs, build meaningful initiatives, and drive long-term change.” They go on to share that Archewell “has built a growing body of work rooted in the philosophy of compassion, connection, and care. With the leadership of The Duke and Duchess, we have cultivated strong strategic partnerships with leading organizations, invested millions of dollars across the non-profit space for sustainable programs and campaigns, and designed a strategy centered on large and lasting community impact. The results of their work are undeniable, both through metrics that can be seen and an emotional impact that can be felt. Baked into all that we do is the core belief that our collective wellbeing and mental health are paramount.”
Holt and Nep also revealed that as Archewell moves into its third year of philanthropy, they will continue their “unwavering commitment to key issues which have an overwhelming ripple effect on our collective well-being. Dovetailing off of the impact we’ve made during this start up phase we will continue to build a better world online, work to restore trust in information, and above all, uplift communities online and offline, local and global.”
As they prepare for the future, this week it was also announced that the Duke and Duchess are shaking up the structure of their organization as well. Variety reported on Friday that the foundation has named Serena Regan as its new head of podcasts, leading all development in that portfolio, and bringing on Nep as co-executive director after stints at The Goldhirsh Foundation and Fundamental Inc. Archewell will also be saying goodbye to two employees, Ben Browning, the content head and producer behind Netflix’s Harry & Meghan, as well as Fara Taylor, who led the marketing campaigns for Archetypes and Harry & Meghan, as well as the global rollout for Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.
Ashley Hansen, Archewell head of communications and global press secretary, told the outlet of the comings and goings at the company, “Ben and Fara have been integral to the creation and execution of many critically and commercially acclaimed projects during their tenure. They have expertly delivered content and campaigns that have exceeded expectations and made their mark within the cultural zeitgeist.” She continued, “They played a critical role in helping to tell the stories of the Duke and Duchess thus far and the couple remain hugely grateful for their support on those vital ‘look back’ projects, as they now look forward.”
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Emily Kirkpatrick
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