About Us

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) is the charity established and funded by the UK Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) in the UK.

HMD has taken place in the UK since 2001, with a UK Commemorative Ceremony and more than 10,000 local activities taking place all across the UK on or around 27 January each year - the date on which the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated in 1945. The UK played a leading role in establishing HMD as an international day of commemoration in 2000, when 46 governments signed the Stockholm Declaration.

The UK Government had responsibility for running HMD from 2001-2005, organised through the Home Office. In May 2005, HMDT was registered as a charity and the Home Secretary appointed HMDT Trustees for the first time. The professional team started work in October 2005.The Government has made a grant to us in support of our work each year; since 2007 this has come via the Communities department, now called the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities. Since 2007 we have overseen very substantial growth of local HMD activities and worked in partnership with many organisations to ensure the life stories of survivors are shared with hundreds of thousands of people. We also now receive funding from the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We are privileged that His Majesty The King is the Patron of HMDT.

Our mission and purpose

Our mission and purpose are based on the Stockholm Declaration and the Statement of Commitment created at the Stockholm Conference on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, in the year 2000. These form the basis of our charitable objectives.

Our purpose is to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day as the UK’s national day to commemorate the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur; to encourage people to learn lessons from the past and take steps to challenge hatred and persecution.

Our vision and values

Underpinned by our commitment to the Stockholm Declaration and the Statement of Commitment, our vision is:

‘Learning from genocide – for a better future’

Our values are to demonstrate behaviours that are expert, compassionate and transparent. We form partnerships where appropriate and effective, and signpost to other organisations.

Our goals

The Board of Trustees has set five goals for the Trust as follows:

  • Goal 1 – To commemorate and increase knowledge of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution of other groups and subsequent genocides, illustrated by the experiences of people who were persecuted.

  • Goal 2 – To enable others to work towards a better future by promoting a society free from identity-based hostility and persecution.

  • Goal 3 – To enable a national sense of collective commemorations for Holocaust Memorial Day.

  • Goal 4 – To support individuals, organisations and communities across the UK to mark HMD profoundly and meaningfully.

  • Goal 5 – To be a financially sound, effective organisation.

Our Finances

HMDT is very grateful to the UK government (currently through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - DLUHC) which continues to support the Trust by providing the majority of our funding (79% of our income in 2022-2023). In addition to their financial support, the Secretary of State and colleagues in DLUHC have continued their long-standing commitment to HMDT, participating in the annual UK ceremony, giving advice and guidance, and championing HMD and HMDT.

For further information on our finances, please see our latest Annual Report.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are an equal opportunities employer and actively seek to work as a diverse team. We welcome applications from candidates irrespective of gender, ethnicity, faith or other characteristics.

Further Reading