Parabola Foundation

Charity Number: 1156008

Annual Expenditure: £0.9M

Stay updated on changes from Parabola Foundation and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: £853,400 (2023-24)
Success Rate: Not applicable (proactive grantmaker)
Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (multi-year commitments typical)
Geographic Focus: England, with international projects in Uganda and Tanzania

Contact Details

Phone: 0191 500 8571

Registered Address: Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EW

Charity Number: 1156008

Note: The foundation does not appear to accept unsolicited applications. Funding decisions are made proactively by trustees.

Overview

The Parabola Foundation was established in 2013 as a private charitable foundation registered in England and Wales. In the financial year ending March 2024, the foundation had total income of £956,466 and made grants totaling £853,400 to institutions. The foundation is led by Chair Peter John Millican and trustees Anne Deborah Millican and Deborah Jude, none of whom receive remuneration. The foundation's mission is to further charitable and cultural projects that bring benefit to the public. Unlike many grant-making trusts, the Parabola Foundation operates through proactive identification and selection of projects rather than accepting unsolicited applications, focusing on long-term partnerships with organisations working in areas aligned with the trustees' interests in arts, health, education, and international development.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Parabola Foundation provides support through direct grants to charitable organisations, typically involving multi-year commitments. Recent funding includes:

Medical Research: Co-funding COLO-SPEED bowel cancer research programme with Newcastle University and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust (alongside Sir Bobby Robson Foundation's £985,000 contribution)
Music Education: Five-year financial support to Sistema Scotland for Big Noise Wester Hailes programme (launched 2022)
Arts Residencies: Ongoing support since 2016 for Aurora Orchestra's residency at Kings Place
International Development: Ruwenzori Sculpture Foundation in Uganda (art foundry, 80-acre rewilding project, 35-bed cottage hospital)
Infrastructure: Clean water projects in Tanzania (approximately 300 wells supporting around 750,000 people)

The foundation established Kings Place Music Foundation to operate music spaces at Kings Place, London, demonstrating a willingness to create charitable infrastructure rather than only providing grants.

Priority Areas

Arts & Culture

Classical music organisations and orchestras
Artist residencies and cultural facilities
Literary festivals and creative writing
Music education in schools

Health & Medical Research

Cancer research, particularly bowel cancer
Healthcare infrastructure in developing countries
Community health facilities

Education & Social Development

Music education for disadvantaged children
Youth development through arts
Educational facilities in developing countries

International Development

Clean water infrastructure (Uganda, Tanzania)
Artistic and cultural development
Community health services
Environmental conservation and rewilding

Social Justice

Music programmes in immigration detention centres (Hear Me Out)
Support for vulnerable populations

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not appear to accept unsolicited applications from any organisations. Funding decisions are made proactively by trustees based on their own research and networks.

Ready to write a winning application for Parabola Foundation?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

Peter John Millican (Chair) - Appointed 2014, Company Director
Anne Deborah Millican - Appointed 2014, Company Director
Deborah Jude - Appointed 2016, Lawyer

No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity. The foundation operates with minimal governance costs (£3,600 in 2023-24) relative to its total expenditure.

Peter Millican's Approach:

Peter Millican established a water charity 20 years ago with two friends, which has now installed approximately 300 wells in Tanzania. In interviews, he has described the foundation's selection approach as based on “admiring the people involved and feeling they could make a difference” when supporting UK arts and music groups. This personal connection and long-term relationship building appears central to the foundation's strategy.

The foundation was conceived jointly by directors of Pangolin Editions and Parabola Land Ltd (a property development company), suggesting connections between commercial and philanthropic interests within the founding family.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Parabola Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation operates through proactive grantmaking, whereby trustees identify and approach organisations they wish to support based on their own research and interests.

There is no public application portal, no published guidelines, and no formal application process for external organisations seeking funding.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation appears to work on multi-year funding cycles, with partnerships such as Sistema Scotland receiving five-year commitments and Aurora Orchestra receiving ongoing support since 2016.

Success Rates

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the Parabola Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, analysis of funded projects reveals what attracts the trustees' support:

Characteristics of Supported Projects:

Strong Leadership: Peter Millican has stated they support organisations where they “admire the people involved and feel they could make a difference,” suggesting personal relationships and trust in leadership are critical.

Long-Term Impact: The foundation favours multi-year commitments (5 years to Sistema Scotland) and infrastructure projects (establishing Kings Place Music Foundation, building hospitals) over one-off grants.

Arts & Music Focus: Significant proportion of UK funding supports classical music, orchestras, music education for disadvantaged children, and cultural facilities.

Geographic Connections: Strong links to Newcastle/North East England (bowel cancer research, In Harmony programme at Hawthorn Primary School, Hexham Book Festival) and Edinburgh (Sistema Scotland).

International Development: Projects in Uganda and Tanzania with integrated approaches combining arts, health, environment, and community development.

Social Change Through Arts: Music education as a vehicle for youth development and social transformation (Sistema Scotland, In Harmony programme).

Innovation in Their Field: COLO-SPEED represents world's largest platform for bowel cancer prevention research; AI technology for cancer detection.

For Organisations Seeking Connection:

Building genuine relationships with trustees over time may be more valuable than any formal approach
Demonstrating significant impact and innovation in fields aligned with trustee interests
Having connections to the North East England region or Edinburgh
Being able to articulate how arts/culture creates social change
Showing capacity for long-term partnership rather than seeking one-off funding

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Not Open to Applications: This foundation is effectively closed to unsolicited approaches, making traditional grant applications impossible.

Relationship-Driven Grantmaking: Trustee Peter Millican's approach centres on personal connections, admiration for leadership, and belief in organisational impact.

Multi-Year Partnerships: The foundation prefers sustained commitments (5+ years) rather than short-term grants, seeking to build infrastructure and lasting change.

Arts as Social Change: Strong emphasis on music and cultural programmes that serve disadvantaged populations, particularly children and young people.

Geographic Alignment: Notable focus on North East England and Edinburgh-based organisations, alongside international work in East Africa.

Strategic Philanthropy: Willingness to establish new charitable infrastructure (Kings Place Music Foundation) rather than only funding existing organisations.

Modest Administrative Costs: With only £3,600 governance costs on £857,000 expenditure, this is a lean operation focused on direct charitable impact rather than large staffing structures.