Archewell

On July 1, 2019, Harry and Meghan registered a private company limited by guarantee in England and Wales under the title 'Sussex Royal The Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex', alternatively referred to as Sussex Royal Foundation.[6] However, after a meeting with senior members of the British royal family, it was confirmed on February 21, 2020, that the couple would not use 'Sussex Royal' as a brand name after they stepped down as working royals at the end of March 2020.[7] Even so, the namesake website remains visible online.[8] On August 5, 2020, Sussex Royal Foundation was renamed 'MWX Foundation' and dissolved the same day.[9]

In April 2020, Meghan and Harry confirmed that their American-headquartered non-royal foundation would be called 'Archewell'.[10] The name stems from the Ancient Greek word 'Arche', which means 'source of action',[10] compounded with the English word 'well'.

On March 3, 2020, an International Class 35[3] trademark application for the name 'Archewell' was submitted for registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)[11] by "Cobblestone Lane LLC, which is registered in Delaware but linked to the Beverly Hills offices of a Hollywood lawyer, who has worked for Meghan for years."[12] The description of services for Trademark Class 35 'Advertising and Business' is advertising, business management, business administration and office functions.[3] The Duke and Duchess reportedly "filed paperwork to create ‘their own charity and volunteering services, wide-ranging website, and sharing ‘education and training materials’ via films, podcasts and books’ and requested to trademark a number of things including motion picture films and branded objects."[11] On May 26, USPTO assigned an examiner to review the application, and an ‘Irregularity notice’ was reportedly sent "addressing a catalogue of errors, including the vague nature of the proposed charitable work, according to documents". Such notice read: ‘The wording “providing a website featuring content relating to philanthropy, monetary giving, volunteer and career opportunities” in International Class 35 is also indefinite and over broad, and must be clarified to specify the nature of the content provided.’[11][13] The notice allowed until August for changes to be made.[11]

Archewell's website was "officially launched" in October 2020.[14] Although it was reported in April 2020 that Archewell would focus on issues including "conservation, female empowerment, and gender equality",[15] this has not been confirmed by the organization. At the end of December 2020, the website was updated to reflect the nature of their charitable and commercial endeavors.[16]

The National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) is a classification system for non-profit organizations developed by the NCSS[17] Archewell comes under 'NTEE T30 Public Organizations', which typically have grantmaking as a main focus.[18]

In December 2020, a partnership with José Andrés's World Central Kitchen was announced. Archewell agreed to fund four "Community Relief Centers" to act as "quickly activated service kitchens". The first is to open in Dominica in early 2021; the second is to be in Puerto Rico, while the other two locations have not been advised.[19]

In the same month, Archewell disclosed collaborations with multiple organizations.[20] It was announced that Archewell had 'partnered' with Dr James Doty from Stanford University to support his center's research on "promoting altruism" in society. Other affiliations include the Loveland Foundation, which provides mental health resources to black women, and the Center for Humane Technology, which promotes ethical technology use.[21]

As at January 2021, "Archewell Foundation is establishing the Archewell Foundation Fund" to support the goals of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C212) in the technology sector.[21]

In December 2020, it was reported that the founders had signed a multi-year business deal with Spotify to launch a podcast through audio-producing company, Archewell Audio, a subsidiary of Archewell Inc.[22] Its first episode was released on December 29, 2020, with guests including Elton John, James Corden, Stacey Abrams, and Tyler Perry.[23]

In September 2020, Harry and Meghan signed a commercial deal with Netflix "to develop scripted and unscripted series, film, documentaries, and children's programming for the streaming service".[24] The program aims to "utilize the power of storytelling to embrace our shared humanity and duty to truth through a compassionate lens".[25]