About us

Our Story

The Granada Foundation was established in 1965 (initially known as the Northern Arts and Sciences Foundation until its name change in 1972) to encourage the study, practice and appreciation of the fine arts and sciences and to promote education, with a particular interest in activity in North West England.

Purpose and Approach

Our funds originate from a generous donation from the settlors,
Cecil G Bernstein and Sidney L Bernstein (the founders of Granada Television). We have supported hundreds of arts and science organisations and awarded over £6.8 million in grants, both large and small, focusing primarily on a geographical area that references the majority of the coverage area of the Granada Television company.

The Granada Foundation is governed by four Trustees and an Advisory Council advises the trustees. The Foundation looks for imaginative proposals from organisations (preferably with charitable status) which will in some way contribute to the cultural and scientific life of our region. We prioritise applications from our region which encompasses Lancashire, Cheshire, Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland, Greater Manchester and
Liverpool City Region and the High Peak.

Our Trustees

Dr Virginia Tandy OBE (Chair)
Philip Ramsbottom
Martin Ainscough DL
Jane Davies OBE

Our Advisory Council

Kathy Arundale
Dr John Baxter
Amanda Sutton
Charles Lauder
Kevin McManus
Ivan Wadeson
Edward Matthews-Gentle
Sheni Ravji-Smith
Stephen Threlfall

Chairs of the Granada Foundation – Past and Present

The Granada Foundation has supported arts and sciences projects and organisations since 1965, following a generous donation by the founders of Granada Television, Sidney and Cecil Bernstein. To date it has had only three Chairs in its lifetime:

Sir William Mather, who served from 1965–1976, Sir Bob Scott from 1976–2023, and Dr Virginia Tandy OBE from December 2023-present.

Virginia lives and works in the region. A former Director of Manchester City Galleries, she later became Director of Culture for Manchester. More recently she was the Founding Director of CADA: the Creative Ageing Development Agency. A previous President of the Museums Association, in the 2010s she was a trustee of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and more recently served as Deputy Chair of National Museums Liverpool. She is currently Chair of Brighter Sound, a music development agency based in Manchester.

Please direct any requests for more information to the Foundation’s administrator, Irene Langford, on 07876 744 235 or at
enquiries@granadafoundation.org