Grants of up to £30,000 are available to UK registered charities, researchers and academic institutions. The Trust supports research, education and roadside improvement projects that promote advances in road related UK transport policy, design, management and practice through grant support.
The Trust favours proposals which have national, rather than local significance and those which involve other funding partners. It welcomes proposals and ideas for innovative topics and projects and, from time to time, will identify areas of potential interest on its News page. A useful source of background and additional information about the Trust’s work can be found in its Annual Report.
The objectives of the Trust are (these should be reflected in any grant proposals):
- To contribute to the cost of lectures, studies and scholarship, and to fund bursaries for the pursuit of relevant post graduate transport qualifications, with the aim of promoting improvement of the design, layout and construction of public highways, and of adjoining land, in terms of safety, functionality and beauty.
- To promote and support projects that improve the roadside environment and enable greater appreciation of the countryside and open spaces.
- To encourage and deliver the improvement of existing, and provision of additional, public highways, bridges, tunnels, footpaths, verges, and cycleways…. in terms of safety, functionality, and beauty, and
- To support projects and initiatives that would demonstrably continue the life work of the founder in promoting the design, functionality, and appreciation of highways.
Grant awards are normally for between £5,000 and £30,000, with a few awards made outside of these grant parameters (generally up to £50,000) for projects that can be delivered between 1 and 2 years from the date of award.
Grants are normally awarded against the following 3 priorities:
- Educational projects.
- Physical projects, and
- Research projects.
The Trust operates a 2-stage application process, as follows:
- Stage 1: contact the Trust’s secretary to register an interest in applying. The deadline for registering an interest is normally 6 weeks before the application deadline.
- Stage 2: applicants that successful pass Stage 1 will be invited to submit a Full Application.
The next deadline for Full Applications is Friday 11 April 2025. Expressions of Interest should be submitted by Friday 28 February 2025.
There is one further application round in 2025. The deadline for Full Applications is Friday 3 October 2024. This means that applicant should log their interest in applying with the Trust Secretary by Friday 21st August 2025.
Further information and guidance is available on the Trust’s website. The Full Application form is only released to applicants that are invited to apply to the Stage 2 (Full Application) phase.