In the spirit of going back to school, we’re looking at five well-known faces supporting educational causes in the UK.
Our Wealth Intelligence Database contains information about over 270,000 high-net-worth and well-connected individuals based in the UK and is updated daily. If you’d like to gain celebrity support to bring awareness to your cause, we can help.
Stormzy & the #Merky Foundation
Founded by the English rapper, singer, and songwriter Stormzy, the #Merky Foundation exists to elevate, support and amplify the issues and the voices of the Black community. The Stormzy Scholarship was launched in 2018 and has provided financial support to more than 40 UK Black students attending the University of Cambridge.
Five years on, in 2023, HSBC UK pledged a further £2m in support of 30 new Stormzy Scholarships over the next three years (2024-26).
Ed Sheeran Foundation
In January 2025, English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran launched a new foundation to support music education in the UK. The Ed Sheeran Foundation aims to provide inclusive, high-quality music education for children around the country, focusing on areas where it is currently less accessible.
To date, the foundation has supported 12,000 young people in 18 schools and grassroots organisations across the UK to fund and expand their youth programmes.
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Dixon, who rose to fame in the early noughties as a member of Mis-Teeq, has been an ambassador for the King’s Trust (formerly the Prince’s Trust) since 2015. The Trust supports young people to gain confidence, develop skills for work or starting a business by offering courses, enterprise initiatives, and mentoring opportunities to 16- to 30-year-olds across the UK.
In 2024, Dixon also fronted the T Level campaign led by the Gatsby Foundation to encourage young people into T Levels and increase parental confidence in the qualification.
Malorie Blackman OBE
Malorie Blackman OBE is an award-winning British writer who was the Children’s Laureate from 2013 to 2015. Blackman is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust, which works to empower children, young people, and adults with the literacy skills they need to succeed.
Since 2020, Blackman has worked with City Lit on the Malorie Blackman Scholarship for Unheard Voices, providing three annual awards to fund one year’s study within the Creative Writing Department.
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford is an English professional footballer who rose to acclaim with his #EndChildPoverty campaign, which saw the government extend free school meals for children from low-income households during holidays.
Rashford is a passionate promoter of reading and literacy among children. In 2023, he launched the Marcus Rashford Book Club with the National Literacy Trust, delivering free books to children who need them most. In partnership with Macmillan, Rashford has published the children’s book, ‘You Are the Champion’ and ‘The Breakfast Club Adventure’ series.
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