The Prince's Charities

Structure

Most of the charities are independent of each other and all are each run by their own boards. The Prince of Wales is president of all the charities and founded 17 of them; however, as president, he is a figurehead and public face for the charities involved and has no legal responsibility. The aim of The Prince's Charities is "to improve the overall effectiveness of the group, building on shared strengths to ensure their long term success and sustainability." The costs of the office are paid for by The Prince's Charities Foundation.

In autumn 2010, Prince Charles published a book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World, and produced a film, both articulating the principles and underlying philosophies of many of these charities.

Development

Through 2003 and 2004, a small office was established within the Office of the Prince of Wales to deal specifically with Prince Charles' charitable work. Sir Tom Shebbeare took up the new position of Director of Charities, with particular responsibility for the development and good governance of the 16 operational charities in which Charles had a particular interest. By the following year, the group had been given a new identity, The Prince's Charities, and the Charities Office had developed new policies and procedures for the group. The Charities Office, set up at Clarence House, employed by 2008 some eight full-time staff. The charities form the largest multi-cause charitable enterprise in the UK and collectively work in 38 countries. They together raise approximately $200 million each year.

In addition to independent charities, Charles established a number of separate charitable initiatives, which include Mosaic, a Muslim youth mentoring campaign; The Prince's Wool Project, to support the UK wool industry; START, to help promote sustainable living; The Cambrian Mountain Initiative, to support the economy in that area of Wales; and The Prince's Rainforest Project, to protect rainforests. In 2011, the Pakistan Recovery Fund was developed, which is intended to support the recovery from the floods seen in that country in 2010.

Charities in The Prince's Charities group

The charities in The Prince's Charities group are often grouped according to the areas of charitable activity that they are involved with.

The Prince's Charities Foundation

The Prince's Charities Foundation also has a number of wholly owned subsidiary companies: Duchy Originals Ltd, the Prince's Charities Events, and Traditional Arts Ltd. The Highgrove Shop is part of the A.G. Carrick company.

The Prince's Charities Canada

The Prince’s Charities Canada (PCC) was founded with the aid of Galen and Hillary Weston. Its work is focused on the Prince of Wales’s core interests, which have been established in the UK for more than 30 years. These include improving the lives of disadvantaged youth, education, responsible business, improving the built environment, regeneration of heritage, environmental sustainability, and support for the armed forces. The PCC works with existing Canadian charities already connected to the Prince and facilitates new opportunities for charitable organizations in Canada and the UK to work together. The organisation does not distribute money; "it sees itself as a convener, helping to connect the Canadian charities Charles supports with new opportunities for growth." Amanda Sherrington is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the PCC.

The organisations are grouped under six initiatives:

Ex-members of the Canadian Forces are provided with financial assistance, further education, and mentoring on business practices through the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (a group long affiliated with The Prince's Youth Business International) and Students in Free Enterprise, Memorial University branch, together within The Prince's Operations Entrepreneur program.

The groups Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and the Wellesley Institute work together under The Prince's Seeing is Believing (PSiB) program, which is modelled on that of the same name that was started by Prince Charles in the UK in the early 1990s. It aims to connect corporate leadership with programs serving disadvantaged people in order to demonstrate the benefits of responsible business. The PSiB's first organised meeting between 17 executives from various professional fields and young, homeless individuals involved with the Yonge Street Mission and UforChange took place in January 2012.

The Heritage Canada Foundation administers and presents annually The Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership to municipalities that have shown commitment to preservation of historic structures and spaces. The concept of the award came following a visit by the Prince of Wales to a restored 18th century house in New Brunswick and a meeting with a member of the Heritage Canada Foundation's board of directors.

Developed by The Royal Conservatory of Music, the Learning Through the Arts (LTTA) program is a structured curriculum that uses the arts to teach other subjects such as math and science and includes training for teachers and artists. This program was imported by the Prince of Wales to the UK, where it is administered by The Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts. In several aboriginal communities, the PCC also funds projects to strengthen the survival of traditional arts and crafts.

This prize is presented annually by the Canadian Institute of Forestry to recognize the achievements of an outstanding young forest professional in Canada. The purpose is to encourage engagement in and dedication to the principles of sustainable forest management policy, planning and practice, sound science-based land stewardship, and public outreach and knowledge exchange focusing on the wise use and conservation of forests and the ecosystems that they encompass.

Following on the initiative in the UK, the PCC brought to Canada the Campaign for Wool Initiative, intended to demonstrate wool as "a sustainable fabric, as something that supports rural livelihoods, rural economies, and a really interesting and versatile fabric that happens to be antimicrobial, [and] flame retardant".

Created in 2015 in cooperation with We Day and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada, The Prince's Youth Service Awards "honour exceptional young Canadians who are taking positive actions both here at home and in the global community" in four categories: local community development, global action, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability. Individuals may nominate themselves with support from family or educators. The first presentation of the awards is expected to take place. Recipients will be selected by a committee that includes Joe Mimran and Mike "Pinball" Clemons. Each winner receives a statue, an invitation to a leadership development programme, and a bursary to aid in bringing ideas to fruition.

The proceeds from sales of Prince Charles' Duchy Originals products in Canada are donated to the charities associated with The Prince's Charities Canada. More than one million dollars has been raised annually in this manner.

The Prince's Charities Australia

The Prince’s Charities Australia is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and was established to provide a coordinating presence for the Prince of Wales’s Australian and international charitable endeavors. The Prince’s Charities aims to assist wherever possible in delivering improved outcomes for the communities of people and of interest served by the Prince of Wales’s charities; enhanced coordination of the Prince of Wales’s charitable interests in Australia; and increased collaboration and communication between the Prince of Wales’s family of charities in the UK and similar and related charities in Australia.