Dame Julia Cleverdon

Dame Julia is a passionate and practical campaigner who has gained an international reputation for 'connecting the unconnected', and inspiring individuals and organisations to work together for the common good.

During her extensive career, she has consistently championed long-term cross-sector collaboration in the poorest communities, supporting community leaders, encouraging young people’s engagement and building local capacity and a more robust civil society which values diversity, sustainability and contextual local solutions.

Dame Julia became Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund in November 2024. She has previously chaired Teach First, the National Literacy Trust and Place Matters – all charities working to tackle inequality in those communities that experience the greatest poverty, disadvantage and discrimination. She chairs the National Statistician’s Committee on Inclusive Data. She is a co-founder of the #iwill movement supporting young people into social action through volunteering, campaigning and advocacy.

Dame Julia has served as Board Trustee for the Fair Education Alliance, The Careers and Enterprise Company, the Youth Futures Foundation, Teach for All and as Patron of Right to Succeed. She began her career with The Industrial Society and served as Chief Executive of Business in the Community for seventeen years before working for the then Prince of Wales as his Special Adviser to the Prince’s Charities.