Rose Castle Foundation

What Rose Castle Foundation does

Rose Castle Foundation is a UK-registered charity (no. 1159568) founded in 2014 by Canon Sarah Snyder and Professor David Ford OBE, headquartered at the 800-year-old Rose Castle estate in Cumbria on the English-Scottish border. The organization equips faith-formed leaders — religious leaders, educators, chaplains, peacebuilders, artists, and activists — to transform conflict across religious and cultural divides through a proprietary methodology called the Rose Way. The Rose Way combines three pillars: conflict transformation skills (facilitation, mediation, non-violent communication), Scriptural Reasoning practice (interfaith dialogue grounded in shared reading of sacred texts), and character formation via the 12 Habits of Reconcilers framework (Lament, Hospitality, Humility, Empathy, Curiosity, Generosity, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Hope, Stewardship, Creativity, Vulnerability). Since its founding, RCF has trained over 2,000 leaders across 30+ countries.

The core product surface includes the Rose Way methodology, Encounter Programmes (immersive residential experiences at Rose Castle and international locations), Scriptural Reasoning and Biblical Reasoning practices, the Women on the Frontline Anglican ministry (established 2017 with Caroline Welby), and the Emerging Peacemakers Programme (Christian-Muslim youth initiative). Distribution is anchored by long-term institutional partnerships with universities (Princeton, Cambridge, Durham, Oxford, Aberdeen, Al-Azhar), seminaries (Virginia Theological, Auburn), faith-based NGOs (Heartlines, Kalam Research & Media, USIP, Tanenbaum), and the Anglican Communion. Programmes are co-designed with partners and delivered through residential formats, international deployments, and online Scriptural Reasoning sessions (monthly 2nd Wednesdays).

As a non-profit, RCF is funded primarily through donations (UK, USA, and international platforms including CAF Donate, rosecastlefoundationusa.org, and givengain) supplemented by programme fees and partnership collaborations. Major financial partners include Templeton Religion Trust (catalytic funding for impact evaluation since 2019) and the McDonald Agape Foundation (supporting the Christian Wisdom of Reconciliation research initiative). The 13-person core team is supported by an international faculty of facilitators and a board of trustees co-chaired by Professor David Ford OBE and Sir James Newcome; the foundation is currently recruiting for two open roles in 2026.

Name

Rose Castle Foundation

Legal name

Rose Castle Foundation

Website

https://rosecastlefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rose Castle Foundation is a UK-registered charity equipping faith-formed leaders to transform conflict across 30+ countries through its proprietary Rose Way methodology, combining character formation, Scriptural Reasoning, and immersive encounter programmes delivered via institutional partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Faith-based peacebuilding
• Interfaith reconciliation programmes
• Conflict transformation training
• Leadership formation
• Scriptural reasoning dialogue

Headquarters

HQ city

Dalston, Carlisle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: RCF is a registered charity (no. 1159568) funded primarily through donations. They accept one-time and monthly gifts via CAF Donate (UK), their US entity (rosecastlefoundationusa.org), and international platforms (givengain). They also accept bank transfers and cheques.
2. Programme Fees and Partnership Collaborations: RCF delivers programmes and hosts events at Rose Castle and internationally, working with institutional partners including universities, seminaries, and faith-based organisations who co-invest in programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rose Castle Foundation delivers immersive faith-based peace and reconciliation training through its proprietary Rose Way methodology. It equips faith-formed leaders (religious leaders, educators, chaplains, peacebuilders) with conflict transformation skills, Scriptural Reasoning practice, and the 12 Habits of Reconcilers framework, delivered via residential programmes at Rose Castle (UK), international partner locations, and online sessions, working with universities, seminaries, houses of worship, and faith-based NGOs.

Product overview

Rose Castle Foundation is a global charity for peace and reconciliation that operates through its distinctive methodology called The Rose Way. The core offering consists of Encounter Programmes—immersive experiences of reconciliation—delivered at Rose Castle in Cumbria and worldwide. Key products include: The Rose Way (the overarching approach combining three pillars), Scriptural Reasoning (interfaith dialogue practice), Biblical Reasoning (Christian-specific companion), and the 12 Habits of Reconcilers framework. Specialized offerings include Women on the Frontline (Anglican Communion ministry) and the Emerging Peacemakers Programme (youth initiative). All offerings are delivered through partnerships with universities, seminaries, houses of worship, and faith-based organizations, rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women on the Frontline (WFL): A ministry within the Anglican Communion that supports women in provinces and dioceses across the Communion, established to encourage, nurture, and equip women leaders as peacebuilders.
• The Rose Way
• Scriptural Reasoning (SR)
• Emerging Peacemakers Programme (EPP)

Products and services

• The Rose Way The foundation's overarching reconciliation methodology combining conflict transformation skills, Scriptural Reasoning practice, and the 12 Habits of Reconcilers framework. Designed as a journey-focused methodology for peacebuilding rather than a one-off event, applicable globally and across faith contexts.
• Encounter Programmes Immersive residential and international encounter experiences where participants live and learn together, sharing meals, studying, and stories across divides. These guided journeys address the Three Rs of Reconciliation: re-member, re-humanise, and re-imagine.
• Scriptural Reasoning (SR) A practice of interfaith dialogue where people of different faiths read and reflect on their scriptures together, learning to disagree better without seeking consensus. Offered as both facilitated practice and monthly online sessions on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
• Women on the Frontline (WFL) A ministry within the Anglican Communion that supports women in provinces and dioceses across the Communion through gatherings combining retreats and training, enabling them to discover their identity in Christ and vocation as peacebuilders.
• Emerging Peacemakers Programme (EPP)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,000+ faith-formed leaders equipped across 30 countries since 2014
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, flagship, core and minor.

• Cambridge Interfaith Programme (CIP), University of CambridgefoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCF founders Canon Sarah Snyder and Professor David Ford developed their faith-informed reconciliation approach at CIP before founding RCF in 2014. The approach of facilitating a 'better quality of disagreement' originated here.
• Princeton UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with Princeton University's Dean of Religious Life and Chapel, delivering encounter programmes for emerging Christian and Muslim student leaders. Multiple cohorts of the Emerging Peacemakers Programme delivered. Alumni formed the Princeton Rose Castle Society.
• Durham UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Christian Wisdom of Reconciliation (CWR) research collaboration. Hosted the 2023 Rose Castle Foundation Symposium at Durham University.
• Al-Azhar UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIslamic university partner collaborating on programmes in Jewish-, Christian-, and Muslim-majority contexts, contributing to RCF's work in interfaith reconciliation across faith boundaries.
• Virginia Theological SeminarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSR Facilitator Workshop programmes delivered for seminarians, helping future pastors engage the ministry of reconciliation as part of their long-term formation as faith leaders.
• Auburn Theological SeminarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Auburn Rose Way Programme supports faith leaders to practice hospitality grounded in recognition of and love for others, transforming their view of what is possible in multifaith relationships.
• Heartlines (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeartlines Bridge Programme uses the 12 Habits of Reconcilers in South African communities. Biblical Reasoning piloted in communities and seminaries across South Africa, UK, and the United States.
• Kalam Research & MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Dr Aref Ali Nayed stated RCF's approach is 'deeply relevant to, and urgently needed, not just in Libya but in every country of the Middle East and North Africa – and the world.'
• Religions for Peace InternationalfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanon Sarah Snyder previously worked as Director of Partnerships at Religions for Peace International, bringing deep networks and credibility in global interfaith peacebuilding.
• Anglican CommunioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCF delivers the Women on the Frontline (WFL) ministry across the Anglican Communion, supporting women in provinces and dioceses, and works with bishops and clergy spouses as peacebuilders in their contexts.
• US Institute of Peace (USIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as a faith-based NGO/network partner on RCF's partner page, collaborating on peacebuilding programmes.
• Tanenbaum (Centre for Interreligious Understanding)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as a partner organisation, with Tanenbaum peacemakers attending programmes at Rose Castle. Collaborative interreligious peacebuilding work.
• IDEAS (Interfaith Alliance for Peace)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as an NGO/FBO partner organisation on RCF's partners page, contributing to the interfaith peacebuilding network.
• MCN (Mergen Cross Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as an NGO/FBO partner organisation on RCF's partners page.
• Rose Castle CompanycoreOthersA not-for-shareholder-profit company that owns, maintains, and operates Rose Castle. Hosts corporate gatherings, weddings, and leisure groups when RCF isn't running programmes, sustaining the castle financially. RCF's offices are on the Rose Castle estate.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Peace Direct: UK-based charity supporting local peacebuilders in conflict-affected regions. Comparable in mission to support and train emerging peace leaders, with similar partnerships and training-based delivery model.
• Religions for Peace: The largest global multi-religious coalition working on peace, with a similar interfaith peacebuilding mandate. RCF's founder previously served as Director of Partnerships there, and the organisations share a common lineage through the interfaith peacebuilding movement.
• Conciliation Resources: UK-based international organisation working on peace and reconciliation in divided societies. Comparable in methodology (track-two diplomacy, accompaniment of local peacebuilders) and UK origin.
• Interfaith America (formerly IFYC): US-based organisation building interfaith leadership among college students and emerging leaders, with a comparable focus on the next generation of interfaith peacemakers and partnerships with universities like Northwestern and George Washington.
• KAICIID Dialogue Centre: Intergovernmental organisation promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue globally. Comparable in interfaith dialogue methodology and training-of-trainers approach to faith leaders.
• Search for Common Ground: The world's largest dedicated conflict resolution NGO, working across religious and cultural divides globally. Comparable mission in transforming conflict, though more secular in approach and far larger in scale.
• Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding: Existing RCF partner organisation focused on interreligious understanding and peacebuilder training. Directly comparable as a faith-informed interfaith peacebuilding organisation operating programmes in education and conflict resolution.
• International Center for Religion & Diplomacy: Specialises in religion-based peacebuilding and reconciliation in conflict zones. Comparable niche focus on engaging religious actors as peacebuilders in interfaith and intra-faith conflicts.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services: Large faith-based humanitarian agency operating globally with peacebuilding and reconciliation programmes. Comparable in faith-based peacebuilding mission but far broader in scale and humanitarian scope.
• US Institute of Peace (USIP): US federal institution working on conflict prevention and peacebuilding globally. An existing RCF partner with broader remit and significantly larger resources, but overlapping mission in faith-informed peacebuilding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rose-castle-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/rosecastlefoundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rose Castle Foundation