Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murty on donating Rs 7 crore to Math charities: ‘It’s all about...’

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty had unveiled their new charity , The Richmond Project, in 2025.

Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty recently opened up about donating over Rs 7 crore to math charities in the UK that focus on improving mathematics skills among children and adults. Speaking to the BBC, Sunak and Murty said that their mission is to help children overcome barriers to confidence with numbers, which he described as a critical factor in shaping future opportunities.

"Too many people in our country are held back because they don't have the confidence that they would like to have with numbers, and that's why they struggle and that limits their chances in life," Sunak said on the BBC Breakfast show. "Hopefully, the work we are doing in our charity, The Richmond Project, can, over time, change that."

Murty joined it to say that the work was all about unlocking opportunities. "We want everyone to feel that all opportunities are available to them and that numbers are, like words and letters, a gateway to unlock opportunity," she said.

'It's all about unlocking opportunity'

Former PM Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty spoke to #BBCBreakfast about donating nearly £600,000 to two charities - to develop confidence in maths - among young children and their familieshttps://t.co/AGCOoqEelepic.twitter.com/2cToNNQ1Mt — BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) January 12, 2026

A UK-wide effort to change attitudes toward numbers

The Richmond Project, named after Sunak’s North Yorkshire home and the constituency he continues to represent as a backbench MP, was launched in 2025 as a registered charity. It marks the first major joint venture by the couple since the end of Suna's term as the British prime minister in 2024. The couple has positioned the project as a UK-wide effort to break down cultural and family barriers around numeracy.

Sunak said the charity will focus on building confidence at every stage of learning. “Akshata and I are passionate about the importance of education – particularly numeracy, and the culture around it,” he had said earlier. “If we can change the way people think about and approach numbers, we can build confidence and transform lives.”

Elaborating on his charity, Sunak added, “It’ll be a UK-wide charity which will focus on breaking down some of the barriers that exist in families around numeracy – whether you’re at primary school, secondary or indeed as an adult.”