Royal Institute of Philosophy

Registered charity 313834 · since 1963royalinstitutephilosophy.org·United Kingdom·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The stated geographic focus is the UK, so the work fits best if you run UK philosophy events, conferences, school activity or doctoral research.
Request sizes are capped by programme: up to £1,500 for local partner programmes, £5,500 for philosophy conferences, £5,000 for school conferences, £3,000 for bursaries and £9,600 for studentships.
The annual report gives no total giving figure, so judge your ask against those caps.
Local programme proposals go through the grant application form, and the annual conference funding round closes in late May; other programmes have fixed deadlines and accept applications, so check the current dates on its website.
Philosophical merit is the primary criterion for conferences, with public engagement favoured where merit is equal, so a school or studentship applicant should not seek A Level examination furtherance, transatlantic flights, honorariums or gifts, and a studentship applicant must be a doctoral student at a UK institution who has completed at least a year.

Overview

Royal Institute of Philosophy is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 313834).

The Royal Institute of Philosophy was founded to advance the education of the public in the subject of philosophy. It describes its purpose as creating, sharing and enabling philosophical thinking. Each year it funds philosophy events and conferences, postgraduate research, and philosophy in schools.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Royal Institute supports high-quality philosophical thinking through educational programmes, events, conferences and activities, as well as postgraduate bursaries and studentships. It funds UK philosophy departments, philosophy clubs, schools and other organisations to organise public-facing programmes and events, philosophical conferences and conferences for school students. It also supports graduate students at UK universities to organise conferences, and postgraduates researching fundamental areas of philosophy. Its conference support values philosophical merit and encourages opportunities for graduate students to present and receive feedback. For local programmes, it favours a mix of formats with audience participation and a clear plan to attract the general public. School conferences are intended to interest and inform students broadly.

Themes

Philosophy conferences
Philosophy in schools
Postgraduate philosophy research
Public philosophy events

Geographic Focus

UK.

What they don't fund

Funding for school conferences only:
- the furtherance of learning of the A Level philosophy examination/curriculum
- transatlantic flights
- honorariums
- gifts

How to apply

For the Local Partners Programme, use the grant application form to explain the proposed programme’s themes, structure, size and location, and how it is expected to attract a public audience.

Deadlines: The annual conference funding round has a closing date in late May.

Who can apply:

Philosophy Conference Funding: A UK philosophy department or other appropriate applicant
Studentships and Bursaries
- Applicants must be studying for a doctorate.
- Applications will not be considered unless you have already completed at least one year of work towards the degree by the start of the academic year in which the award is given.
- Applicants must be engaged in full, or part time study of Philosophy and registered at a department at a UK institution for the duration of their studies.

What to send:

Studentships and Bursaries: 1 written reference from their academic supervisor, sent directly from their academic email account.
School Conferences: An activity report following the conference.

Applying again: Studentships and Bursaries: A previous application, whether successful or unsuccessful, does not prevent a new application.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

For conference grants, philosophical merit is the primary criterion; proposals with equal merit may be favoured if they engage the general public.
Local partnership proposals should include a mix of event formats, with an emphasis on audience participation.
Graduate conference proposals are encouraged to show opportunities for students to present work and receive feedback from established philosophers.
School conference organisers are required to submit an activity report after their event.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

United Kingdom

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Royal Institute of Philosophy.

The Royal SocietyFixed deadlinesGave £3.3M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 July 2021	£470,737	£389,211	—	Accounts for year to 31 July 2021
year to 31 July 2022	£449,289	£524,931	—	Accounts for year to 31 July 2022
year to 31 July 2023	£494,996	£515,155	—	Accounts for year to 31 July 2023
year to 31 July 2024	£576,113	£554,728	—	Accounts for year to 31 July 2024
year to 31 July 2025	£469,318	£565,447	—	Accounts for year to 31 July 2025

— No grants figure for that year.

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.