The Materials Journalism Foundation is a small UK unincorporated association created to publish and support clear public-interest information about materials, objects, substances, craft traditions, and the physical culture of everyday life.
Its work is based on a simple idea: materials matter. Ordinary substances such as tar, pitch, resin, lime, paper, timber, metals, pigments, fibres, stone, glass, clay, and oils have shaped industry, craft, architecture, transport, agriculture, domestic life, and historical memory. Many of them are poorly explained online, scattered across specialist sources, or discussed only in technical language. The Foundation exists to make these subjects easier to understand.
The Materials Journalism Foundation operates tar.fyi as one of its publishing projects. Tar.fyi focuses on tar, pitch, resinous materials, historic coatings, traditional material uses, and related topics. The site is intended as a readable reference archive for curious readers, students, writers, craftspeople, heritage enthusiasts, and anyone trying to understand what these materials are and why they matter.
The Foundation is not a company and is not currently a registered charity. It is an unincorporated association governed by its constitution. It operates on a small, low-data, low-overhead basis and does not currently employ staff.
The Foundation is overseen by a small board. The identities of board members are not released to the public as is a requirement laid out in its constitution. The Foundation keeps internal records of its governance and can respond to legitimate legal, regulatory, safeguarding, or rights-related requests where appropriate.
Editorial responsibility for the Foundation’s public websites sits with the association as a whole. The Foundation aims to publish accurate, cautious, readable material and to correct significant errors when they are found. Its work is informational and educational. It does not provide medical, legal, engineering, construction, conservation, chemical safety, financial, or professional advice.
The Foundation’s editorial approach is based on clarity, accuracy, proportion, and care. We try to distinguish historical use from modern advice, traditional practice from verified safety guidance, and similar terms that are often confused. Where a subject involves practical risk, product safety, chemicals, tools, fire, buildings, health, animals, or the environment, readers should consult appropriate professional guidance, manufacturer instructions, safety data sheets, and relevant rules before acting.