Welcome to The Rapunzel Foundation

Founded in 2010 by Anna Furlong in New Ross, Co. Wexford, the Rapunzel Foundation was born out of a heartfelt desire to make a difference in the lives of individuals facing hair loss. Anna’s inspiration came from the moving story of Caitlin Kehoe, an 8-year-old girl suffering from permanent hair loss. Touched by Caitlin’s plight, Anna felt compelled to extend a helping hand.

a little bit about us

For over 13 years, Anna & her dedicated team at her salon ran the foundation, providing support to those experiencing longer term hair loss. In 2023, Anna retired & Danielle Kennedy of The Collective by Lloyds hair salons in Waterford + Wexford, took over the day-to-day operations of the Foundation. Anna is still involved with the foundation in a lesser capacity.

The Rapunzel Foundation is run primarily by volunteers, we have one paid office administrator working a few hours per week but we rely on volunteers to process our donations. Because of this we ask those who donate to allow us 6 weeks between receiving your donation and receipt of your acknowledgement

what we do

At its core, the Rapunzel Foundation signifies empowerment, providing support to those suffering from conditions that lead to longer term hair loss.

We support individuals by providing Wigs free of charge or partial wig funding to those who struggle to cover the cost.

We mainly supply Freedom Wigs as these use cutting edge technology which allows wearers have a comfortable and secure piece which will stay in place in high winds, rollercoasters and even while swimming. Freedom Wigs, once we’ll cared for will last a wearer many years.

how we do it

At The Rapunzel Foundation we collect ponytail donations (over 14 inches in length) and monetary donations to provide wigs and partial wig funding to long term hair loss sufferers, living in Ireland.

Our ponytail donations are sent to a wig makers, the hair is processed and depending on the quality of the hair it takes a minimum of 25 ponytail donations to turn these into a wig
At its core, the Rapunzel Foundation signifies empowerment, providing support to those suffering from conditions that lead to longer term hair loss.
We support individuals by providing Wigs free of charge or partial wig funding to those who struggle to cover the cost.
The whole process from application to receipt of a piece can take 6 months as the piece is constructed specifically to suit the wearer

Driven by compassion and a deep understanding of the emotional impact that hair loss can have, Anna recognized the need to restore confidence and empower individuals to embrace life fully. Thus, the Rapunzel Foundation came into existence.