Peter Sowerby Foundation

Charity Number: 1151978

Annual Expenditure: £10.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Over £10 million awarded to date (89 grants to 63 organisations)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by programme (not publicly specified)
  • Grant Range: Up to £500,000 (Strand 1), £2-3 million (Strand 2)
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide with special interest in North Yorkshire
  • Endowment: £65 million (expendable)

Contact Details

Website: www.petersowerbyfoundation.com / petersowerbyfoundation.org.uk

Email: info@petersowerbyfoundation.org.uk

Address: 29 St John's Lane, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4NA

Overview

The Peter Sowerby Foundation was established in 2011 to direct the personal wealth of Dr Peter Sowerby, a retired GP from North Yorkshire and founding partner in Egton Medical Information Systems (EMIS), to charitable causes aligned with his philanthropic vision. Dr Sowerby's innovation in creating EMIS—now the largest supplier of clinical software to GPs in the UK—is reflected in the Foundation's emphasis on technology-driven, innovative solutions. With an expendable endowment of £65 million, the Foundation has awarded over £10 million through 89 grants to 63 organisations since 2013. In 2025, the Foundation replaced its Healthcare Breakthrough Fund with the Impact in Healthcare Fund, with a strategic shift to sustain at-risk projects that have proven impact. The Foundation prioritises projects that are innovative, use technology effectively, and often fall outside mainstream funding criteria.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Good Causes Fund

  • Grants up to £100,000
  • Focus areas: Community, Environment and Conservation, Education
  • Supports projects in Dr Sowerby's home region of North Yorkshire and beyond
  • Application method: Invitation only

Impact in Healthcare Fund (replaced Healthcare Breakthrough Fund in 2025)

  • Strand 1: Grants up to £500,000 for projects ready to scale with proven impact
  • Strand 2: Grants of £2-3 million for infrastructure, core staffing, and sustaining initiatives
  • Open Calls announced periodically on website
  • Focus on community outreach, digital/data-driven solutions, and preventative healthcare
  • Application method: Open calls or direct solicitation

Small-Scale Grants

  • Under £25,000 for community projects, particularly in North Yorkshire
  • Examples include youth projects, mental health counselling, and volunteering initiatives

Priority Areas

Healthcare Innovation

  • Projects addressing disability, medical research, mental health
  • Support for individuals with long-term health conditions
  • Digital health and data-driven healthcare solutions
  • Preventative healthcare in community settings
  • At-risk projects with proven impact

Community

  • Work with disadvantaged young people
  • Support for isolated older people
  • Rural community initiatives (especially North Yorkshire)

Environment & Conservation

  • Horticulture and conservation projects
  • Environmental research (e.g., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)

Education & Learning

  • Educational programmes and literacy initiatives
  • Digital skills development

Arts, Health & Wellbeing

  • Programmes connecting arts with health outcomes
  • Community-based arts initiatives

What They Don't Fund

  • Grants to individuals
  • Unsolicited applications (except during Open Calls)
  • Work currently being delivered elsewhere or duplicating other organisations
  • Projects without demonstrated management capability and track record
  • Organisations not registered as charities, CICs, or registered health/social care providers
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Governance and Leadership

The Foundation is governed by a board of trustees who guide the strategic direction and grant-making decisions. The Foundation operates with administrative support staff to manage day-to-day operations and grant management.

Leadership Perspective

The trustees emphasise: “The Trustees look for projects which are innovative, use technology effectively, and are often those that may not meet the criteria for mainstream funders.”

How to Apply to Peter Sowerby Foundation

How to Apply

Primary Method: The Foundation does NOT accept unsolicited applications. They actively solicit applications from charities, community groups, and registered healthcare providers whose work aligns with their priorities.

Open Calls: The Foundation periodically issues Open Calls for expressions of interest, particularly for the Impact in Healthcare Fund. These are announced on their website.

Alternative Route: If you believe your project closely aligns with their recent grants and priorities, you may submit a brief synopsis through their online proposal form, including:

  • Project summary
  • Budget summary
  • Proposed timeline

Important Note: The Foundation will only acknowledge and respond to proposals that are of interest to them.

Eligible Applicants:

  • UK registered charities
  • Community Interest Companies (CICs)
  • Registered health and social care providers
  • Universities (for specific programmes)

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly specified and vary by programme. Initial discussions typically precede formal applications for larger grants. The Foundation maintains flexibility in their grant-making approach to support innovative and impactful projects.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. The Foundation has awarded 89 grants since 2013, demonstrating selective grant-making focused on high-impact projects.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly stated. Given the solicitation-based model, interested organisations should maintain contact and respond to relevant Open Calls.

Application Success Factors

What the Foundation Prioritises

Innovation & Technology: “The Foundation wishes to receive applications which push the boundaries of what is possible, including through the use of new IT and digital technologies and the effective use of data.”

Impact & Scale: “The Foundation will prioritise applications that are high impact, cost-effective and scalable and which can leverage substantial future resources.”

Open Source Commitment: “The Trustees will prioritise applications that make all work and discovery funded by the Foundation available to the public domain in an open, convenient and freely available way.”

No Duplication: The Foundation will not fund work currently being delivered elsewhere or by other organisations.

Management Capability: Applicants must demonstrate effective management capability and track record.

Examples of Funded Projects

Healthcare Innovation:

  • Target Ovarian Cancer: £338,300 (2019) for addressing regional variation in diagnosis
  • King's College London: £1,430,746 over 10 years (2015) to establish Chair in Philosophy and Medicine
  • CLIC Sargent: £214,345 over 3 years for 'Thrive, not just survive' programme in Yorkshire
  • Helpforce: £99,960 to explore End of Life Care intervention in five NHS hospitals
  • University of Exeter: BCG trial recruiting 1,000 care workers and community health practitioners

Community Projects:

  • AESOP (Arts Enterprise with a Social Purpose): £147,000 over 3 years plus subsequent £95,000 for national rollout
  • Colburn Youth Project (North Yorkshire): £5,000 for summer youth programmes
  • Hambleton Community Action: £10,000 to encourage volunteering
  • Wellspring Therapy & Training: £7,473 for counselling for vulnerable people

Environment:

  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: £223,790 for bee research fellowship

Arts & Culture:

  • Bradford Literature Festival: Support for celebration of spoken word with 500 events

Strategic Guidance

  1. Align with Dr Sowerby's legacy: Projects combining healthcare and technology innovation resonate strongly
  2. Emphasise innovation: Focus on what makes your approach different from mainstream solutions
  3. Demonstrate scalability: Show how funding could increase scale or depth of impact
  4. Evidence your impact: Provide clear metrics at patient, community, or sector-wide levels
  5. Show sustainability: Especially for Strand 2 funding, demonstrate long-term viability
  6. Leverage technology: Effective use of digital tools and data is a key differentiator
  7. Consider community settings: Healthcare projects prioritising community outreach over clinical settings are favoured
  8. Open access matters: Commitment to making results publicly available strengthens applications

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No unsolicited applications: Wait for Open Calls or build a relationship first; monitor their website for announcements
  • Innovation is paramount: Position your project as pushing boundaries and using technology effectively
  • Show proven impact: Especially for larger grants, demonstrate clear evidence of success before seeking scale-up funding
  • Think beyond mainstream: The Foundation specifically seeks projects that fall outside traditional funding criteria
  • At-risk projects welcome: The 2025 strategy prioritises sustaining impactful projects facing funding challenges
  • North Yorkshire connection: Projects in this region hold special significance to the Foundation
  • Open source commitment: Making your work publicly available significantly strengthens applications
  • Register interest: Sign up for notifications about Open Calls to ensure you don't miss opportunities

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