James Dyson Foundation: 2020 wrapped up

The Foundation, set up in 2002, is James Dyson’s charitable trust. It works on a global scale from primary school students to recent university graduates to celebrate, educate and inspire young people about the exciting world of engineering. It also supports the community local to Dyson offices as well as medical research. The 2020 annual report provides an overview of the work the Foundation did throughout the year to continue this mission. Below are some headlines from the report.

Reached over 600,000 young people with online resources: The Foundation’s online educational resources came into their own in 2020, in light of school closures and the shift to online learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, the Challenge cards, a pack of 44 STEM challenges designed by Dyson engineers, helped to bring engineering education into the homes of around 270,000 families worldwide, with many young engineers posting their results on social media under #JDFchallenge.

Supported at-home learning with online workshops: The Foundation ran virtual rapid-prototyping workshops for school students studying at home reaching 25,000 students.

Launched a new educational resource: The Foundation launched a new educational resource, Engineering solutions: Air pollution, about how engineering can help to solve the global problem of air pollution focusing on Dyson purification technology and air science. In 2020 this resource was downloaded 500 times. 

Ran the biggest James Dyson Award to date: The Foundation received 1,800 entries – the highest number to date – to the James Dyson Award, an international design engineering competition aimed at university students and graduates. Furthermore, the competition saw its first ever Sustainability winner, a material that can be attached to buildings to generate electricity from UV light.

Raised $110,000 for Dyson’s chosen charities: The Foundation match-funded money raised by Dyson people for Dyson’s chosen charities across the UK, US and South East Asia, including Alzheimer’s Research UK, Project Exploration (Chicago), National Cancer Council Malaysia, National Healthcare Group Fund, Singapore and Teach for the Philippines.

Donated almost $40,000 the local community: The Foundation supports local projects, schools and charities in Malmesbury, where the Dyson offices are based in the UK. In 2020, it donated $29,000 worth of machines to the local community and $7,000 to local charities, including the Malmesbury Food Bank.

Provided 500 items of IT equipment to local schools and hospitals: The Foundation established a new programme donating refurbished Dyson IT equipment. It donated 300 laptops to local schools, 100 laptops to Great Western Hospital in Swindon, and 100 iPads to Royal United Hospital, Southmead Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary.