Funding for Universities and Research Institutions in the United Kingdom

The Wolfson Foundation awards grants towards new buildings, refurbishment work and major equipment to enable high-quality research. They sometimes also award grants to improve access and research libraries or to improve public engagement with science.

Funding Information

• Usual grant range: £250,000 – £1 million
• Minimum grant amount: £100,000

Ineligible Funding

• Examples of ineligible projects and costs include:
  • Purchase of land or existing buildings (including a building’s freehold)
  • Grants direct to individuals
  • Grants through conduit organisations
  • Overheads, maintenance costs and VAT
  • Non-specific appeals (including circulars) and endowment funds
  • Costs of meetings, exhibitions, concerts, expeditions, conferences, lectures, etc.
  • Salary costs
  • Running costs, including vehicle fuel and maintenance
  • Film, websites or promotional materials
  • Repayment of loans
  • Projects that have already been completed or will be by the time of award.

Eligibility Criteria

• Who can apply:
  • Universities and research institutions
• Your organisation should:
  • be a research-intensive university or research institution
  • undertake internationally competitive research.
• If your project is related to research infrastructure it should have at least one of the following aims:
  • Expansion of high-quality research into new fields or increased output from existing research (including new collaborations)
  • Improved quality of research
  • Production of work with a clear impact, benefitting either the academic community or the public.

For more information, visit The Wolfson Foundation.