Women in Science

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Women in Health

Women in Art

Future Generations

Recognising the power of enterprise to create opportunity, we’ve invested in our first social impact venture through The Parasol Foundation Trust’s new investment arm, Parasol Social Ventures Limited. The investment in STELAR, a modern artisan goods venture, aligns with our ethos of assisting and promoting organisations and businesses led by female founders with a significant female workforce.

Founded by Lorna Watson, STELAR works directly with artisans in Bali to create unique hand woven and hand-crafted accessories. Working in close collaboration, STELAR is re-imagining indigenous skills that have been passed from generation to generation to create long term positive impact and sustainable livelihoods within the communities that most rely on them. 

Traceability is at the heart of what STELAR does. Every hand-crafted item is accompanied by a unique digital code, connecting you to the origins of your bag and the artisan who created it.

With stockists including Selfridges and Fenwicks UK and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, STELAR featured prominently in Fenwick of Bond Street’s summer window display and we’re excited to see the venture grow and flourish.

Sustainable Handbags Hand-Woven in Bali

 STELAR Our first social venture investment

The Parasol Center for Women's Cancer Research brings together physicians and scientists to focus on how cancer impacts women. This includes both gender-specific cancers (such as breast and ovarian), and other cancers that may affect women differently than men (such as thyroid and lung cancers).

The Center aims to develop a variety of research protocols and clinical trials to develop new approaches to early detection, prevention and individualized treatments that will improve cancer survival for women. 

Integral to the project is an awards programme supporting outstanding women physicians to hold leading clinical positions and carry out independent pioneering clinical research.

The Parasol Center for Women's Cancer is one of the Foundation’s most significant long-term projects. We have donated over $3 million in funding support since it was established in 2016 and continue to support it.

The project builds on our longstanding relationship with the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

Parasol Women's Cancer Research Center (tasmc.org.il)

The Parasol Center for Women’s Cancer Research at Sourasky Medical Center

The Parasol Foundation International LL.M. Program at the Buchman Faculty of Law at Tel-Aviv University was established in 2014.

This 10-month programme attracts exceptionally talented students from across the world and gives them the chance to study for the advanced academic law degree at Israel’s leading law faculty, with some of the world’s renowned professors.

We award a number of scholarships to the most promising and intelligent students in the programme to help create opportunities to participate.

Luiza, 2015-2016 alumni from Brazil, said, “The Parasol Foundation Trust's scholarship allowed me to complete my LL.M. studies with a specialization in technology in one of the most prestigious academic institutions - Tel Aviv University - thus allowing me to pursue my second-degree education in Israel - the Start-up Nation - and to learn with the best professors from all over the world. I am extremely grateful for Parasol Foundation's kind support."

About PFT at TAU

Parasol International LL.M. Program at Tel-Aviv University

The Parasol Foundation Trust has partnered with Marin Health Medical Center in Marin County, California since 2013. Most recently we have supported the design, construction and expansion of the hospital.

Marin Health Medical Center was established in 1952 and is the only full-service, acute-care hospital in Marin Country, California. With deep roots in the community, it operates a designated trauma center and offers labor and delivery services, cancer care, paediatric, psychiatric and comprehensive heart care.

MarinHealth Foundation Donors | Hospital in Greenbrae

Marin Health Medical Center

The Parasol Foundation Trust scholarship at Marin Academy, first established in 2011, helps create opportunity by supporting an exceptional, female student to study at the school.

“Receiving The Parasol Foundation Scholarship was a cornerstone of the life that Marin Academy provided me. Not only did the scholarship enable me to achieve my academic aspirations by providing all of my tuition and incidental fees, but it also allowed me an opportunity to explore passions and interests that would not have been available otherwise.” – Kyndelle, 2011-2016 Parasol Foundation Scholarship student at Marin Academy.


For more information

Marin Academy Parasol Foundation Women Scholarship

With our focus on empowering initiatives to help women succeed, we are working with The Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women Programme. The programme aims to provide the right help to nurture, empower and inspire women to build their own futures through employment, self-employment, education and training.

The Parasol Foundation Trust has previously supported opportunities for over one hundred participants in The Prince’s Trust’s Get Started Programmes which helps young people get back into employment and training.

Major Gifts Princes Trust

The Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women Programme

As part of our mission to encourage future generations and support unique centres of excellence, the Parasol Foundation has recommitted to funding the Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts (GAMPA) scholarship programme for the upcoming academic year (2022/2023).

GAMPA is a remarkable organisation adding so much to gifted young people and the cultural life of Gibraltar. It strives to produce well-rounded musicians and performers and recognises the importance of fostering creativity from an early age and inspiring young talent Since 2016, the Parasol Foundation’s yearly contribution to GAMPA has successfully enabled promising young students to further studies in music and performing arts by having more contact time with tutors for no additional cost.

As well as giving over 300 students the opportunity to become involved in ensemble classes and workshops, the scholarship programme has also granted individual scholarships for students in financial hardship and those showing exceptional promise.

Chronicle

Gampa

Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts

The Parasol Foundation Trust’s collaboration with Atidim underlines our commitment to creating opportunities for exceptionally talented females. Through three programmes, we have sponsored hundreds of extremely intelligent, academically excellent and hand-picked female students to support their growth within the engineering and scientific fields.

Atidim is a non-profit organization that strives to help build a strong Israeli society through harnessing the immense potential of individuals unable to financially support themselves and their families.

The Foundation has collaborated with the Atidim in Industry programme which encourages young adults who have completed their compulsory military or national service in Israel to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and the Sciences, and intern in companies and industries throughout Israel.

We have also worked with the Atidim Take-Off programme and the New Frontiers programme. The Take-Off programme provides highly motivated, lone immigrant soldiers with support when starting their civilian life post-military. The New Frontiers programme is a science and engineering enrichment programme aimed at giving talented female high-school students the support, knowledge and tools to forge a new generation of young women in the field that are so crucial to Israel’s defence, security and economic future.

Takeoff program

Friends of Atidim Parasol Foundation Women STEM Scholarships

The Parasol Foundation has sponsored two excellent and financially in-need female students studying STEM bachelor’s degrees at the University of San Francisco since 2018.

University of San Francisco Parasol Foundation Women STEM Scholarships

The Parasol Foundation Trust has collaborated with Cambridge University on a broad range of projects since 2009.

Our support enabled research on Darwin and gender as part of the internationally renowned Darwin Correspondence Project at Cambridge University Library.

The Foundation supported the library in its acquisition of the Lewis-Gibson Genizah Collection and supported a dedicated Genizah Research Associate to investigate the role and place of women in the medieval world of the Cairo Genizah.

Donations have also been made to the work of the Cambridge Trust which provides crucial support for outstanding students.

More recently the Foundation has been a significant benefactor to the Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club (CUWBC), contributing to the development of the first ever joint boathouse for all Cambridge University boat clubs at Ely.

Cambridge Trust

New Graduate Scholarships in STEM subjects

More information on the Cambridge University Boat Club

Cambridge University

The Parasol Foundation Trust has been a long-term partner of Laniado Hospital in Israel and has supported a number of the hospital’s projects since 2008.

Laniado Hospital was founded 30 years ago by a Holocaust survivor on the principle that everyone deserves to be treated, no matter their faith or race. It is a non-profit community hospital and treats over 50,000 patients every year.

Our projects have included support to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the Maternity Department and the IVF Department, new delivery beds for the Maternity Department and new ultrasound machines, including a 3D machine.

PFT at Laniado

Laniado Hospital Netanya

The Parasol Foundation and SpaceIL are leading an exciting Space and Astro science program to create new opportunities and empower women in the space industry.

The Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL program has dedicated scholarships to female engineering students and graduates with a donation of $500,000. Michal Pushkov, Sahar Peretz, Julia Saleh, Or Nataf and Dr. Neta Palkovitz were selected in September 2022 as the first five fellows from an exceptionally talented group of applicants.

In addition to the scholarships, we’re contributing $1,530,000 and joining the distinguished group of donors to the Beresheet2 2025 moon mission. The new mission will build on SpaceIL’s Beresheet1 2019 launch which was the first private entity to reach the moon and secured Israel’s position as the 4th country to ever touch the moon with a lunar lander.

Established in 2011, SpaceIL passionately believes in inspiration through action. With their ground-breaking projects in deep space, they seek to inspire Israel’s future generation and encourage teenagers to think in the direction of science, engineering, and entrepreneurship.

SpaceIL’s goal is to introduce the younger generation to the exciting opportunities that arise from the courage to dream and the determination to make that dream a reality.

To create a lasting legacy, we’re also initiating a study project analysing the gender gap in space research and engineering in Israel. The findings of the study will be published widely to encourage international progress.

This pioneering STEM project is an integral part of Ruth Parasol and the Parasol Foundation’s wider effort of empowering next generation females to study STEM and choose careers in space, along with other fields of science, technology, and medicine

Announcement - Parasol - SpaceIL

SpaceIL Program

CTECH - Program to boost women in space industry

No Camels News - Press

Walla - Press

Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL

The Parasol Foundation is funding four scholarships for Ukrainian women to study in Washington DC with the Advanced Leadership Foundation (ALF).

Our $71,000 donation is enabling four talented young female Ukrainian refugees in their last year of any STEM-related degree to have a life-changing four-month long professional experience.

 works to ensure that all people, regardless of their country of origin or socioeconomic status, have equal access to the opportunities needed to positively impact their economies and communities.

Through our partnership with ALF, we’re aiming to promote the leadership skills of young Ukrainian women studying STEM subjects and help them develop tools that will be instrumental in reconstructing their country and embracing a new future.

ALF has directly trained and empowered 11,000 leaders from around the world and the Parasol Foundation Leadership Scholars from Ukraine will polish their abilities with an immersive career experience in Washington DC during an intensive internship program. The Parasol Foundation Leadership Scholars will also benefit from academic training in soft skills and leadership abilities.

This powerful new Parasol Foundation Women’s Leadership Scholarship initiative with ALF is part of our wider programme of scholarships for women from Ukraine which includes our support for female students to continue their STEM studies at Reichman University in Israel.

The Parasol Foundation Women’s Leadership Scholarships for Ukrainian students

The Parasol Foundation Trust is donating £1.5mn to the new Gibraltar National Theatre and Cultural Hub development at the John Mackintosh Hall.

Announced at a special dinner to celebrate Ruth Parasol’s 18th anniversary in Gibraltar, our significant new donation to the community is the latest in a long line of local initiatives supported by the Parasol Foundation. Beginning with the renovation of the Mediterranean steps more than a decade ago, the Foundation has gone on to help support the University of Gibraltar, The Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts, mammography unit at GHA and many other local initiatives.

By supporting the National Theatre and Cultural Hub – now in the detailed design stage - we’re hoping to help nurture the gifts of the whole community as well as attracting talent to Gibraltar.

Our donation helps kick-start major funding for the theatre’s development and The Parasol Foundation Art Gallery will be established as a bespoke area to showcase art and collections for everyone in Gibraltar to enjoy. We’ll also fund a new female led initiative as part of the project’s next phase.

Once complete, the new theatre and cultural hub will also house a new lending library, 1000 seat theatre and smaller 250 seat studio theatre.

The announcement of the Parasol Foundation’s donation was warmly welcomed by the Gibraltar government and the Governor of Gibraltar, Vice Admiral Sir David Steel.

Parasol Foundation’s £1.5m donation is ‘rocket boost’ to National Theatre project

GBC - Gibraltar News - GBC TV and Radio Gibraltar

Gibraltar National Theatre Foundation thanks Parasol Foundation - Gibraltar Cultural Services

Parasol Foundation supports new Gibraltar National Theatre and female led initiative

 in March 2022, the Parasol Foundation Centre for Women’s Health and Cancer Research is based at Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals in north west London.

The research centre, created in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial Health Charity, focuses on research to develop advanced treatments for women’s cancers, such as ovarian cancer, and explore the health impacts of pre-term birth.

Imperial College Healthcare provides exceptional care and treatment for the communities it serves, and is at the forefront of pioneering clinical research in a wide range of specialist fields.

The centre opens up a brand-new care pathway for women with gynaecological cancers underpinned by the latest research and treatments.

Our donation is enabling Imperial College Healthcare to purchase innovative surgical equipment and award three fellowships for women to lead research in the field. Three additional grants will also be awarded to help Imperial College Healthcare continue its world-leading research in the field of pre-term birth, exploring approaches to reduce the likelihood of premature labour and improve outcomes for women who may be at risk.

The scope of research was extended in January 2023 to explore the links between infectious diseases and pregnancy. Researchers will use thousands of blood samples provided by women as part of their maternity care to examine rates of immunity and infection during their pregnancy.

A similar study carried out in 2020 enabled experts to track the spread of Covid-19 – and they believe developing this approach could enhance our understanding of other infectious diseases like polio and rubella.

The research could even help scientists learn more about future pandemics by pinpointing when and where viruses spread.

The Parasol Foundation Centre for Women’s Health and Cancer Research underlines our long-term commitment to improving women’s health and creating opportunities for women to break down barriers and excel in the fields of science, medicine and research.

We’ve also initiated research investigating the impact of gender on career progression for female academics in science and healthcare. We’re planning for the findings to be widely shared to stimulate debate and change.

Press Release

Imperial Health Charity - Centre for women's health

Imperial Health Charity - New women's health research centre

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust - New research centre

Parasol Foundation Centre for Women’s Health and Cancer Research at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

The Parasol Foundation has supported the University of Gibraltar since its establishment committing almost £1m to curriculum development of various academic programmes, the development of The Parasol Foundation Library and sponsorship of students in financial need.

Each year we award a small number of Parasol Foundation scholarships for exceptional female students who wish to study academic programmes at the University of Gibraltar.

Our scholarships are open to women achieving the highest academic standards who cannot access higher education for financial reasons. We particularly welcome applications from students in the local and regional area seeking to study STEM related courses such as Computing, Marine and Environmental Science, and Business Management.

More information on the University of Gibraltar can be found by accessing their website 

Parasol Library

University Donation from PFT

University of Gibraltar Parasol Foundation Scholars

The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project at the V&A is a major new programme supporting women in photography.

We’re celebrating the achievement of women photographers, opening up empowering opportunities and aiming to inspire future generations of talented females. One of our largest projects since the Trust was established, the £3mn donation included a personal donation from Ruth Parasol underscoring her commitment to promoting women behind and in front of the camera.

Accompanying the project is The Parasol Foundation Gallery at the V&A in London. Three years in the making the stunning new photography gallery opened to visitors in May 2023.

Fiona Rogers, the inaugural Parasol Foundation Curator of Women in Photography, leads on new acquisitions, research, education and public displays. Fiona is helping the Foundation to celebrate the achievements of women, nurture contemporary artists and inspire the next generation of women photographers to fully express their creativity.

With a strong focus on digital art and social media, we’re aiming to open up participation, encourage women photographers to achieve their potential and connect with the widest possible international audience.

 highlights works by women artists, showcases extraordinary new talent and explores the role women have played through the history of photography.

V&A Press Release

V&A Blog

FAD Magazine

Instagram

The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project at The V&A, London

The V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography is an exciting new international photography prize for women.

The new initiative reinforces our commitment to creating new opportunities for women in art and supporting photography at the V&A. Showcasing the outstanding talent of women photographers, it will run for three years and is open to all women across the globe.

The prize celebrates the work of innovative female artists in the field of contemporary photography and elevates the 

Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project

 launched with the V&A in September 2021 to support and champion women in photography.

Each year applicants will be encouraged to respond to a new theme. In 2023 

 were selected from almost 1400 submissions responding to the theme ‘

Prize winners will benefit from career enhancing opportunities including a bursary, portfolio reviews, networking opportunities, and spotlights on the V&A Parasol Foundation Women in Photography blog and the Project’s Instagram account.

They will also have their work displayed at Peckham 24 – south London’s vibrant three-day contemporary photography festival.

Each year, winning entries will be selected by a panel of selectors co-chaired by Fiona Rogers, Parasol Foundation Curator of Women in Photography at the V&A and Vivienne Gamble, co-founder of Peckham 24 and Director of Seen Fifteen gallery, London

The Project

The Prize

Art Daily - Press

For Creative Girls - Press

Culture Calling - Press

The V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography 

Launched in August 2022 in response to the devastating situation in Ukraine, our program with Reichman University is creating opportunities for exceptional women to continue their STEM studies in Israel.

The Parasol Foundation Scholarship program for Ukrainian Women at Reichman University offers fully paid STEM scholarships for women from the war-torn regions of Ukraine who can no longer attend university in Ukraine.

We’re funding four talented young women through their undergraduate STEM studies with a donation of $365,000 to help them pursue their dreams and achieve their potential. The female students are joining a growing network of Parasol Foundation students stretching across Israel, the US, UK and Gibraltar.

Reichman University will nurture and support the Parasol Foundation Scholars throughout their degrees to ensure they flourish and succeed in their studies.

The Parasol Foundation Scholarship Program is the first of its kind at Reichman University, providing full scholarships to those whose lives have been disrupted by war. The Program is led by Jonathan Davis, Vice President of External Relations and Head of the Raphael Recanati International School.

Reichman University was founded in 1994 by Prof. Uriel Reichman to train the future leadership of the State of Israel. Reichman University students are educated in light of the motto "Freedom and Responsibility," and alongside the emphasis placed on excellence in research and teaching, prominence is given to social responsibility and community involvement. Since its inception, about 34,000 graduates have earned their degrees from Reichman University.

Reichman University

Parasol Foundation Scholarship Program for Ukrainian Women at Reichman University

We're proud to be supporting Bloomsbury Football, a charity using the power of football to change the game for young people in London. On a mission to remove the financial barriers to play, they ensure every young person can get on the pitch and experience the power of the beautiful game.

When a young person attends a session, their mental & physical health improves, they learn life skills and gain a new community. They are able to level up – from the pitch, to the classroom & beyond.

Our funding is helping Bloomsbury Football tackle girl-specific barriers to participation. They are currently working with over 1,500 girls in London per week as part of their Changing the Game for Girls (CTG) programme. 

Bloomsbury Football are showing girls that their place is on the pitch. 

Bloomsbury Football

Bloomsbury Football – Changing the Game for Girls

We’re reaching for the stars with the establishment of a new Parasol Foundation Scholarship programme with Murray Edwards College so talented female students can study astronomy and astrophysics at Cambridge University.

The first intake of female students will be in the academic year 2024-2025. Three promising female applicants will be offered a fully funded place to study for a Master’s degree in Astrophysics, an MPhil in Astronomy or the new MPhil in Planetary Science and Life in the Universe.

Students will have the benefit of being inspired by trailblazer Professor Hiranya Peiris who is the first woman to be appointed to the prestigious Professorship of Astrophysics (1909) at Cambridge in its 115-year history, taking up the post in October 2023. She is also a current Fellow and alumna of Murray Edwards College, with a strong commitment to widening access to Cambridge. Together with College President Dorothy Byrne, she is determined to break down the systemic barriers that hold women back from achieving their true potential.

Murray Edwards, formerly known as New Hall, was chosen for The Parasol Foundation Scholarships because it is a college for women with a proud record of educating women in STEM. In Astrophysics alone, the College’s distinguished alumni include Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, discoverer of pulsars, and Katherine Blundell, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford. Its architecture makes it stand out too as it was designed by Champolin Powell and Bon before they went on to create the landmark Barbican Centre in London.

Despite the College’s track record, evidence shows that women are still in the minority at Cambridge when it comes to studying most STEM subjects, notably Computer Science and Mathematics. At the university overall, there is an even gender split among undergraduates, but in the 2022 intake (the most recent for which figures are available) women made up just under a fifth of computing and maths students, and took only just over a quarter of Engineering places.

We hope that now with our help those numbers will improve and a new generation of women will follow in the footsteps of these brilliant female scientists.

We were lucky enough to be in the audience to hear Professor Peiris give her first lecture in her role as 1909 Chair of Astrophysics. You can marvel at the breadth of her ambition 

 she aims to unlock the secrets of the universe and make a movie of it. We hope we’ll have a front row seat for that one too.

Parasol Foundation Scholarship programme with Murray Edwards College

With a donation of $3.5mn The Parasol Foundation Trust is funding vital research and creating a multidisciplinary center in Israel for the comprehensive treatment of women with breast cancer.

The Parasol Foundation Women’s Breast Cancer Center for diagnosis, research and treatment will operate within the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Expected to open in 2024 the center will be the most advanced in Israel, benefitting thousands of women every year.

The new Center will bring together a complete suite of medical and paramedical services and emotional support making sure the patient is accompanied from the moment the disease is detected through to and after her recovery. This one-stop structure, will include surgical and treatment services, a Breast Imaging Unit, oncology consultants, specialists in genetics, plastic surgery and research.

Our donation will also fund a series of groundbreaking research projects led by women physicians over a three-year period starting in January 2023.

We’re funding genetic research which aims to reveal pathways governing drug resistance and exploit this understanding to reveal new targets and develop novel strategies for patients. Researchers will analyze genomic alteration development upon time, treatment and disease progression in liquid biopsies of breast and ovarian cancer patients.

Parasol Foundation funded researchers will also explore the alterations in tumor environment and breast and ovarian cancer development. Led by Keren Marenbakh Lamin and Noa Keren, they are aiming to decipher different components composing the microenvironment of breast tumors, in order to delineate the interaction between tumor and non-tumor cells and the role these interactions play in resistance to treatments.

Over the next three years ten research grants will be awarded to women undertaking Masters, PHD and post-doctoral research into breast and ovarian cancer at the hospital. A further ten women physicians will be supported to conduct clinical or research fellowships outside of the hospital.

This new donation builds on our longstanding relationship with the TASMC and our support for the existing Parasol Center for Women's Cancer which has benefited from $3 million in funding since it was established in 2016.

Jerusalem Post - Press

Israel Hayom - Press

The Parasol Foundation Women’s Breast Cancer Center at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

The Parasol Foundation Trust is a longstanding supporter of The Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX), a £10,000,000 initiative led by the British Embassy in Israel and the British Council.

BIRAX collaborates with several research organizations in Israel and in the UK and provides support to ground-breaking, joint UK-Israel research projects most recently in the field of ageing and previously in regenerative medicine.

We have supported a range of projects including two rounds of funding towards the Regenerative Research Project. Most recently, the Foundation committed additional funding towards BIRAX’s new initiative in the field of ageing.

We're funding research by Professor Tara Keck from the University College and Professor Inna Slutsky from Tel Aviv University on the ‘Failures of neuronal homeostasis in Alzheimer's Disease and ageing.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other age-related pathologies are becoming increasingly common in our ageing society, exposing a large deficit in effective treatments. Continued failures in clinical trials and the realisation that early intervention may offer better therapeutic outcomes have triggered a shift from focusing on the late-stage AD pathology to the early-stage pathophysiology.

While numerous molecular factors impaired in AD have been studied, the principle underlying the transition from ‘silent’ signatures in neural circuits to clinically measured memory decline remains unknown. Professor Keck and Professor Slutsky propose that failures in firing homeostasis in cortico-hippocampal circuits and stability-plasticity imbalance are the driving force of early disease progression.

British Council

BIRAX

The Parasol Foundation Trust is creating opportunity through a series of ambitious projects and collaborations. Our projects have an international outlook and seek to make a lasting impact.