RCVS Knowledge
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Quality Improvement Awards are open to any member of a veterinary practice team, so the funder fits a quality-improvement project led by that kind of team, but it does not fund research projects themselves and the Plowright Prize does not go to institutions or organisations, so an organisation cannot apply for it.
- Its stated geographic focus is Europe, and its annual report shows £2,250 paid in grants, so a modest request is the realistic scale; no award amounts are given for the Quality Improvement Awards.
- Quality Improvement applications are made through an online form, close in January, and are assessed competitively against pre-defined criteria, so a clear statement of aims and intended outcomes, evidence of cross-team working, use of benchmarking data and an honest account of setbacks will help.
Overview
RCVS Knowledge is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 230886).
RCVS Knowledge is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 230886) with a mission to advance the quality of veterinary care for the benefit of animals, the public and society. Its ambition is to become a global intermediary for evidence-based veterinary knowledge, providing access to information of immediate value to practising veterinary professionals. Its programmes are the Knowledge Awards in Quality Improvement and Antimicrobial Stewardship, the Veterinary Evidence Student Awards and the Plowright Prize, which is £100,000 and is awarded every two years.
What they fund
Priority Areas
RCVS Knowledge works to advance the quality of veterinary care for animals, the public and society, supporting veterinary teams to provide evidence-based care. Its Quality Improvement Awards recognise projects led by veterinary teams that improve patient outcomes, teamwork, service delivery or antimicrobial stewardship, across species and a range of practice settings. It also offers student awards supporting engagement with evidence-based veterinary medicine, and the Plowright Prize recognises an individual whose work advances the control, management or eradication of infectious diseases of animals. The awards use a competitive process: applications are assessed against pre-defined criteria, with blinded assessment where possible. For quality-improvement awards, the charity values shared ownership, appropriate QI methods and evidence of meaningful impact, learning and improvement over time.
Themes
- Patient outcomes
- Veterinary teamwork
- Service delivery
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Evidence-based veterinary medicine
- Animal infectious diseases
Geographic Focus
Europe.
What they don't fund
- RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Awards only: Research projects themselves
- The Plowright Prize only: Institutions and/or organisations
How to apply
Applicants submit a project for the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Awards through the online application form.
Deadlines: Applications close in January.
Who can apply:
- RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Awards: Applications can be submitted by any member of the veterinary practice team, including veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, practice managers, administrative staff, and other support roles, regardless of seniority or job title.
What to send:
- RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Awards: A list of references used to inform your QI project.
- The Plowright Prize: Nominators must provide a statement of recommendation explaining why the nominee is deserving of the Plowright Prize.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Applications are strengthened by clear articulation of project aims and intended outcomes.
- Applications are strengthened by evidence of cross-team engagement and collaboration.
- Judges look favourably on projects that use local practice or wider benchmarking data to identify problems, guide interventions and evaluate progress.
- Honest discussion of challenges, setbacks and unexpected findings is encouraged and viewed positively.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- Europe
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to RCVS Knowledge.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £1,400,314 | £1,771,978 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £1,607,903 | £2,068,336 | £75,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £1,574,121 | £2,043,524 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £1,313,664 | £1,996,700 | £100,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £1,427,306 | £1,895,349 | £2,250 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 3 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants paid out in the year.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- rcvsknowledge.org/awards/rcvs-knowledge-quality-improvement-awards/about-the-rcvs-knowledge-quality-improvement-awards · read on 30 October 2026
- rcvsknowledge.org/awards/the-plowright-prize · read on 30 October 2026
- rcvsknowledge.org/awards/rcvs-knowledge-quality-improvement-awards/apply-for-an-rcvs-knowledge-quality-improvement-award · read on 30 October 2026
- rcvsknowledge.org/awards/rcvs-knowledge-quality-improvement-awards/the-application-process · read on 30 October 2026
- rcvsknowledge.org/contact-us · read on 30 October 2026
- rcvsknowledge.org · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to RCVS Knowledge?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Applying to RCVS Knowledge?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required