The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity that awards grants to
support and promote excellence in the fields of science, health,
education and the arts & humanities. Our funds are generated through
an endowment. We have awarded over £900 million in grants since our
establishment (£1.9 billion in real terms), supporting over 11,000
projects across the UK, all on the basis of expert peer review.
Grants are generally given for capital infrastructure (new build,
refurbishment and equipment) supporting excellence in the fields of
science and medicine, health & disability, education and the arts
& humanities.
The large majority of our funding is allocated through open programmes
(i.e. programmes which are open for any applicant to apply, albeit
within defined eligibility criteria). We also run a small number of closed programmes
(i.e. programmes where the particular field being funded is tightly
defined and where we work with a number of carefully selected
organisations). Generally our capital infrastructure programmes are open programmes and our closed programmes
are all bursary, scholarship or salary schemes focussed on people
rather than buildings or equipment. Information on all of our programmes
is available on this site, including information on how to apply, via
the menus to the left. We welcome applications under our open programmes but do not accept unsolicited applications under our closed programmes.
Partnership programmes
The Foundation is committed to working, where possible, in
partnership with other funders and expert bodies. A number of our
funding programmes are administered by other organisations and this
website provides details of those programmes, including links to the
relevant information on how to apply (which is generally via the partner
organisation rather than direct to us). By partnership programmes we mean all programmes that are administered and/or co-funded by other organisations.
Science and Medicine
In recent years, this area has received the highest proportion of the Wolfson Foundation's funding - recognising the importance of science and medicine to society and the economy, as well as the relatively high cost of the infrastructure underpinning much of current research endeavour. Our largest individual grants tend to be made under this heading and their range and scale can be seen by looking at the grants list under the relevant section of our Annual Reports or by looking at a selection of recent case studies. It is worth noting that our largest awards should not be seen as typical of the usual size of award.
Arts and Humanities
The Wolfson Foundation has a long history of supporting the arts and humanities - in recognition of the UK's strength in this area and the importance of the cultural sector both to the economy and to the enrichment of society.
Education
Education is one of the Wolfson Foundation's central themes and underpins much of our work. Through our open applications we support teaching spaces at universities and secondary schools and, less often, education spaces in cultural organisations, disability charities or those working in the area of public engagement with science.
Health and Disability
The Wolfson Foundation funds new buildings, refurbishments and equipment for a range of organisations delivering excellent care and support. This funding tends to focus on enhancing care, providing better opportunities and improving quality of life. The Foundation has awarded over £35 million to more than 200 different organisations over the last ten years.
In recent years, this area has received the highest proportion of the Wolfson Foundation's funding - recognising the importance of science and medicine to society and the economy, as well as the relatively high cost of the infrastructure underpinning much of current research endeavour. Our largest individual grants tend to be made under this heading and their range and scale can be seen by looking at the grants list under the relevant section of our Annual Reports or by looking at a selection of recent case studies. It is worth noting that our largest awards should not be seen as typical of the usual size of award.
Arts and Humanities
The Wolfson Foundation has a long history of supporting the arts and humanities - in recognition of the UK's strength in this area and the importance of the cultural sector both to the economy and to the enrichment of society.
Education
Education is one of the Wolfson Foundation's central themes and underpins much of our work. Through our open applications we support teaching spaces at universities and secondary schools and, less often, education spaces in cultural organisations, disability charities or those working in the area of public engagement with science.
Health and Disability
The Wolfson Foundation funds new buildings, refurbishments and equipment for a range of organisations delivering excellent care and support. This funding tends to focus on enhancing care, providing better opportunities and improving quality of life. The Foundation has awarded over £35 million to more than 200 different organisations over the last ten years.
Moreinfo: http://www.wolfson.org.uk/funding
