Carol Grigor to receive the Carnegie Medal

Edinburgh Reporter

06-05-2025

Philanthropist Carol Colburn Grigor, CBE, will receive the Carnegie Medal at a ceremony at Edinburgh Castle on Wednesday evening.
The international family of Carnegie institutions has named five philanthropists as recipients of the prestigious medal of Philanthropy – a biennial award which recognises innovative philanthropists and their contributions to tackling global challenges. The award recognises Carol's unwavering dedication to the arts and the lasting, global impact her philanthropic giving has made on the cultural and civic landscape of Scotland and the UK. The medal ceremony is taking place in Edinburgh, where Carol's investment benefits the city's economy by creating jobs and attracting new performers and audiences.
Ms Grigor's support for arts and cultural causes extends from the USA to Australia, and more recently Ireland, along with support in the UK for organisations including the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Edinburgh International Festival.
Dunard Fund, which is chaired by Carol, has provided millions of pounds worth of grants to charities in the arts and heritage sectors, including the Edinburgh International Festival, National Galleries of Scotland, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, National Library of Scotland and Britain's major opera companies.
Her generosity continues to support the development of new projects which will be key additions to Scotland's cultural offering in the years to come. Together, they reflect the values which underpin the legacy of the Scottish industrialist Andrew Carnegie: imagination, generosity, and a belief in progress through public good.
The Dunard Centre, set to occupy the recently cleared site behind the historic RBS branch building on St Andrew Square, will be the first purpose-built concert hall in Edinburgh for more than 100 years. It will also be the first UK venue designed by Nagata Acoustics, the world's foremost acoustic experts, and the first concert hall anywhere in the world from the globally renowned David Chipperfield Architects.
Its mission is to become a 'Hall for All', that will host a varied programme of performances including globally renowned musicians, emerging artists, and other acts seeking to break the mould of what would ordinarily be showcased in a traditional concert hall. It will provide a permanent home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and a new venue for the Edinburgh International Festival.
Jo Buckley, chief executive of the Dunard Centre, said: 'I am delighted to see Carol's transformative philanthropy being celebrated on the global stage, and it is especially fitting that this year's ceremony is taking place in Edinburgh, which was Carol's home for many years. It is no exaggeration to say that her longstanding support has helped to make Edinburgh the cultural capital that it is today, with its future assured by her powerful investment in two landmark capital projects, the Dunard Centre and the National Centre for Music.
'Cultural transformation relies on the dogged persistence and determination of visionary individuals, as Andrew Carnegie's legacy has shown us over the past century. As we look to create Edinburgh's first new concert hall in over a century, it is tantalising to think ahead to the exceptional performers it will attract, and the profound economic, social, educational and cultural impact that Carol's philanthropy will have on Scotland for generations to come.'
The new National Centre for Music which will occupy the former Royal High School building on the city's Calton Hill is also a key beneficiary of Carol's support. Nestled within two acres of beautiful, landscaped garden, it will become an energising force in Scotland's music sector. The centre will feature performance, rehearsal and learning spaces, a recording studio, meeting rooms and creative offices, as well as events and conference facilities in a striking heritage setting. Its performance programmes will celebrate music making from across Scotland, and across all genres, and it will nurture and inspire new talent through apprenticeships, artist residencies and strategic partnerships.
Music centre designs. Image: Montagu Evans /Royal High School Preservation Trust.
Jenny Jamison, Chief Executive and Creative Director of the National Centre for Music, said: 'Carol has been a driving force behind the National Centre for Music. Not only has she enabled the preservation of the spectacular old Royal High School buildings which we are transforming into our home, she has also championed the importance of making this a welcoming place where locals and visitors, learners and professionals can enjoy and expand their musical passions every day.
'The National Centre for Music will celebrate and support all genres of music making and will be a place where Scottish musical history is made. Offering new resource and partnership opportunities to Scotland's music sector, it will ensure Scotland continues to be a leader in music and culture across the globe. Carol's vision is very much at the heart of this ambition, and we are delighted to see her honoured this week.'
Carol Grigor at the site of the Dunard Centre next to St Andrew Square
Other recipients
Others recognised include Joseph and Jeanette Neubauer, who have effected transformational change in education, public safety and the arts internationally and Barbara and Amos Hostetter, whose Barr Foundation has granted over $1.5 billion to the arts, climate, and education causes since 1997. Previous winners of the medal include Dolly Parton (2022), Michael Bloomberg (2009), Sir Ian Wood (2019) and Sir Tom Hunter (2013).
Professor Dame Louise Richardson, DBE, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, said: 'From education and climate change to arts and culture, this year's honourees have demonstrated the transformational role philanthropy can play in tackling the world's problems. They all embody the philanthropic spirit championed by Andrew Carnegie by doing real and permanent good in the world. All are true standard bearers of his legacy.'
The Carnegie institutions also announced a special Carnegie Catalyst Award for Sir Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis CBE, two of the co-founders of Comic Relief, which has raised over £1.6 billion by using the power of entertainment and popular culture to tackle poverty and injustice in the UK and across the world. The Catalyst Award celebrates the transformational power of human kindness by honouring a non-profit organisation that has been effective in encouraging people to help one another.
Professor Dame Louise Richardson DBE added: 'Sir Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis CBE are true catalysts for positive change and worthy recipients of our Catalyst Award. Comic Relief has a vision of a just world that is free from poverty and uses the power of entertainment to encourage us all to play our part.'
The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy is awarded on behalf of the international family of Carnegie institutions founded by the Scots-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Previous winners include Dolly Parton, the Wolfson Family, Sir Ian Wood, Michael Bloomberg, the Rockefeller Family and Bill and Melinda Gates.
This is only the third time the ceremony will be held in the UK since its inception in 2001, and will be hosted by the three UK-based Carnegie institutions: Carnegie UK, The Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.
Gillian Taylor, CEO of Carnegie Dunfermline and Hero Fund Trust, one of the host organisations, said: 'Andrew Carnegie believed in committing his private wealth to the public good. His legacy is still felt around the world today, with all our honourees showing the good that can be done through philanthropy. The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy event in May is an opportunity for the international family of Carnegie foundations to come together in Scotland, the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, to discuss and debate how our work in today's world furthers Carnegie's philanthropic vision and values.'
Carol Colburn Grigor CBE is president of Dunard Fund USA, chair emeritus and board member of the Colburn School, and chair of the Colburn Foundation, which supports classical music through performances, presentations, education, and musician training in Southern California.
Her contributions to classical music and the visual arts have been recognised with numerous honours including Commander of the British Empire (CBE). She is an inaugural recipient of the Prince of Wales Medal for Philanthropy and has been admitted as a Chevalier into France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Grigor received her Bachelor of Music from Indiana University School of Music and her Master of Musical Arts from Yale University School of Music. She also has received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Edinburgh Napier University.
As a pianist, she performed extensively in the United States and Europe, before turning to family business activities and philanthropic initiatives in the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, Australia, and now specifically in Ireland.
Grigor is a director of the Colburn Collection, the Colburn Music Fund, and Dunard Fund UK and a member of the board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the Marlboro Music Festival, and the Yale School of Music board of visitors. In August 2013, she was named honorary vice-president of the Edinburgh International Festival Society.
She is the founder and member of the Royal High School Preservation Trust in Edinburgh.
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