Foundation For The Sociology Of Health And Illness

Charity Number: 1078203

Annual Expenditure: £0.3M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Income: £369,000 (2023-24)
  • Annual Expenditure: £297,700 (2023-24)
  • Grant Range: £1,000 - £7,000 (plus full salary for fellowships)
  • Application Deadlines: Fixed - 27 March and 31 October annually
  • Decision Time: 8 weeks from deadline
  • Geographic Focus: UK-based applicants (international researchers eligible for some schemes)

Contact Details

  • Website: www.shifoundation.org.uk
  • Email: fshiadmin@googlemail.com
  • Phone: 01206 873399
  • Address: Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness, registered charity 1078203

Overview

The Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness (FSHI) was established in April 1996 at a meeting of the editorial board of the journal Sociology of Health and Illness and formally inaugurated in December 1999. With an annual income of £369,000, the Foundation promotes and improves social scientific research, education and scholarship in the field of sociology of health and illness. The charity is closely linked to the international journal Sociology of Health & Illness, which provides royalty payments that fund the Foundation's grant-making activities. The Foundation operates through a board of ten trustees, all senior academics actively researching or teaching in the field, who meet at least three times annually to review strategy and award grants. The Foundation explicitly encourages applications from under-represented groups in academia.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Mildred Blaxter Postdoctoral Fellowships: Full salary for one year plus up to £7,000 (£1,000 for mentor costs, £6,000 for research expenses). Up to four fellowships awarded annually. Supports individuals who have recently completed a PhD in sociology of health and illness to develop work related to their thesis. Deadline: 27 March annually.

Research Grant Development Awards: £1,000 - £6,000. Maximum of six awards per year. Provides 'pump-priming' funds for groups of at least four researchers from at least two institutions to develop high-quality, innovative research grant applications. Recipients must submit a full grant application to a major funding body within three months of award completion. Deadline: 27 March annually.

Symposium or Workshop Support Grants: £2,500 (one-day events) or £3,000 (multi-day events). Maximum of six awards annually. Funds symposia, small conferences and workshops addressing important issues in sociology of health and illness. Organizers must be UK-based, and events must be held in the UK. Deadline: 27 March annually.

Postgraduate International Conference Travel Awards: Up to £1,000 per award. Maximum of ten awards annually. Supports postgraduate students and early-career researchers (within three years of PhD) to present papers at international conferences outside the UK. Includes additional £1,000 available for carer support. Deadline: 31 October annually.

Priority Areas

  • High-quality, innovative research in sociology of health and illness/medical sociology
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration between research centres and academic disciplines
  • Research addressing topics including race, ethnicity, health inequalities, and other important public health issues
  • Support for early-career researchers and postgraduate students
  • Development of funding applications to major national and international bodies
  • Dissemination of research through publications and conference presentations

What They Don't Fund

  • PhD studentships (explicitly discontinued)
  • PhD by Publication theses (for Mildred Blaxter Fellowships)
  • Trustees cannot be lead applicants on Research Grant Development Awards
  • Applicants cannot hold more than one award simultaneously
  • Conferences scheduled less than two months after application deadlines
  • Events or fellowships based outside the UK
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Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

Prof. Fiona Stevenson (Chair) - University College London. Research interests include medical sociology, qualitative methods, and e-health.

Prof. Catherine Pope (Treasurer) - University of Oxford. Expertise in medical sociology and qualitative research methods.

Prof. Tiago Moreira (Secretary) - Durham University.

Prof. Judith Green (Lead assessor for Symposium/Workshop and Research Grant Development awards) - University of Exeter, Centre Director of Wellcome Centre for Cultures & Environments of Health.

Prof. Ewen Speed (Lead assessor for Mildred Blaxter Postdoctoral Fellowships) - University of Essex. Research interests include critical approaches to healthcare engagement.

Prof. Jenny Douglas - Open University. Research focus on health and wellbeing of black women and intersectionality.

Prof. Justin Waring - Loughborough University, Dean of School of Social Sciences and Humanities. Research focus on organization and management of healthcare.

The ten trustees serve three-year terms (renewable for another three years) and meet formally at least three times yearly. All trustees are senior researchers and academics at professorial or equivalent levels who are actively engaged in the field. Trustees declare potential conflicts of interest prior to appointment and annually thereafter.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted electronically using the Foundation's official application forms available on their website (www.shifoundation.org.uk/schemes/). All applications require institutional support:

  • Mildred Blaxter Fellowships: Require mentor support, department head support, and two external referees
  • Research Grant Development Awards: Must be signed off by university finance officer
  • Symposium/Workshop Grants: Require at least one organizer with established publication track record
  • Conference Travel Awards: Must provide evidence of paper acceptance by conference organizers

Applications should be submitted well in advance of the event or activity, particularly for conference travel awards where conferences must be scheduled at least two months after the application deadline.

Decision Timeline

  • Applications reviewed by panels of three Foundation trustees
  • Decisions made within eight weeks of application deadline
  • Applicants notified as soon as possible after decision
  • Awards made competitively on merit
  • Full complement of awards only made if sufficient applications meet required standards

Success Rates

While specific success rate statistics are not publicly available, the Foundation awards a maximum of:

  • 4 Mildred Blaxter Fellowships per year
  • 6 Research Grant Development Awards per year
  • 6 Symposium/Workshop Support Grants per year
  • 10 Conference Travel Awards per year

The Foundation notes that awards are competitive and made on merit, with the full complement awarded only when sufficient applications meet required standards.

Reapplication Policy

Research Grant Development Awards: Successful applicants may reapply in subsequent years, but cannot hold more than one award simultaneously.

Mildred Blaxter Fellowships: Applicants must not have made a previous application for this fellowship.

The Foundation does not provide feedback on unsuccessful applications or reasons for rejection. However, in the interests of transparency, successful applications are listed on the Foundation website to encourage further applications.

Application Success Factors

Assessment Criteria by Funding Stream

Research Grant Development Awards are assessed on:

  • Contribution to establishing or strengthening collaboration between research centres and academic disciplines
  • Experience and expertise of collaborators in relation to the research topic
  • Appropriateness and standing of the proposed funding body
  • Other proposed outputs beyond the external grant application
  • At least two applicants must have an established track record of publication in sociology of health/medical sociology

Mildred Blaxter Fellowships are assessed on:

  • Quality of the PhD thesis
  • Potential contribution to sociology of health and illness
  • Feasibility of proposed research activities and outputs
  • Realistic plans for publications and future grant applications

Symposium/Workshop Support Grants are assessed on:

  • Potential contribution to sociology of health and illness
  • Quality and appropriateness of proposed speakers and target audience
  • Conference organization, including accessibility
  • Support for postgraduate students and/or early-career researchers to attend
  • Justification of funding request

Conference Travel Awards are assessed on:

  • Potential contribution of presentation to sociology of health and illness
  • Appropriateness of conference
  • Reasonableness of funding request

Strategic Considerations

The Foundation explicitly encourages applications from under-represented groups and particularly welcomes research addressing topics such as race, ethnicity, and health inequalities. Recent book prize winners have addressed topics including baby loss, patient-centered care, and other contemporary health and illness issues, suggesting the Foundation values both theoretically innovative and socially relevant research.

Past award recipients come from leading UK universities including Edinburgh, Nottingham, King's College London, University of Oxford, and others, indicating the competitive nature of the awards. However, the Foundation accepts applications from researchers at all career stages who meet the specific eligibility criteria for each scheme.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Fixed deadlines: Plan well ahead for the 27 March and 31 October deadlines - applications are reviewed twice yearly
  • Institutional support is critical: All schemes require formal institutional backing, whether from department heads, finance officers, or mentors
  • Demonstrate track record: At least some team members must have established publication records in sociology of health and illness
  • Focus on outputs: Applications should clearly articulate expected publications, grant applications, or other tangible outcomes
  • Collaboration matters: Research Grant Development Awards particularly value interdisciplinary collaboration across institutions
  • Eight-week turnaround: Expect decisions within eight weeks of deadline, allowing for planning
  • No feedback provided: The Foundation does not give reasons for unsuccessful applications, so ensure applications are comprehensive
  • Transparency through publication: Successful applications are listed publicly, providing examples of funded projects

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