Sainsbury Centre receives £91.2m donation from David Sainsbury for renovation

The Sainsbury Centre, a museum on the University of East Anglia campus, has received a £91.2m donation from David Sainsbury via the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The funds will renovate the grade II* listed building designed by Norman Foster and completed in 1978. The project includes improvements to the building envelope to halve energy use, photovoltaic panels, solar-controlled blinds, and upgrades to entrances, lifts, and landscaping. The renovation supports UEA's net-zero campus goal by 2045. David Sainsbury, son of founders Robert and Lisa Sainsbury, also funded the original £4.2m building. The collection includes works by Picasso, Degas, Bacon, Moore, and cultural objects from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The museum previously received grants for urgent repairs: £325,000 from Arts Council England in 2022 and £1,276,711 from DCMS in 2025. Dates for the capital project are unannounced.