History
The Trust was established in 1950 in England and Wales, with a grant of £30,000 from the then Air Council, now Ministry of Defence (MOD), to promote, present or co-operate in the organisation of air pageants and displays, in order to promote the recruitment and efficiency of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
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Between its founding and 2005, the Trust provided income to the RAF Benevolent Fund (RAFBF) for the benefit of serving and former members of the RAF.
Following the completion of a governance review in 2004, a decision was taken to alter the relationship between the RAFBF its trading company, and the Trust. In January 2005, with the support of the Charity Commission, the RAF, the Benevolent Fund and MOD, the Trust was renamed ‘The RAFCT (Charity Number 210848). The Trust then assumed full ownership of the trading company (which become RAFCTE) and the Royal International Air Tattoo.
Following the successful completion of the Group’s COVID recovery plan, the Board of Trustees have concentrated on refining the strategic intent of the organisation to guide Charity and Company strategies and activities for the next 3-5 years. The purpose of RAFCT is to Promote the RAF and Inspire young people and RAF personnel to fulfil their potential in air, space and technology.
To Promote the RAF, the RAF is placed at the heart of a programme of world-class events and activities, with the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) as its unique centrepiece. RIAT is widely recognised as the best military air show in the world, attracting truly global participation and very high numbers of public visitors over the three-day period of the show. RIAT is also a unique Defence diplomacy and engagement event, drawing together senior political, military and industrial leaders from around the world. Importantly, all of this not just promotes the RAF, and air and space more generally, but every pound of profit goes to support the Trust's Inspire charitable activities.
To Inspire young people, inside the RAF and wider UK society, to fulfil their potential in air, space and technology the charity aims to deliver, with and through partners, access to and involvement in forward-looking air and space activities, including highly stimulating personal development opportunities.
Picking up the Inspire theme, the Trust strives to inspire young people by funding engagement and development activities in air, space and technology. This focus is on young people, broadly aged 5-25 years old, and within the RAF and wider society, with a particular emphasis on under-represented communities.
Trust activity is spread across three key areas: sponsoring and initiating national science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) programmes; enabling hundreds of young people from the RAF, RAF Air Cadets, and across the UK more widely to learn to fly and to pursue a STEM career through flying and engineering scholarships; and supporting other smaller charities whose values and aims align with those of the Trust.
Moreover, RIAT hosts the well-established Techno Zone and Inspire Stage, which are designed to engage the many thousands of young people who visit the show with a myriad of interactive STEM-focussed exhibits and inspiring speakers.