The Colt Foundation

Charity Number: 1190167

Annual Expenditure: £0.6M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £561,518 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: ~12 weeks from submission
  • Grant Range: Not specified - varies by project needs
  • Geographic Focus: UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.coltfoundation.org.uk/

Phone: 01798 342831

Email: tash@coltfoundation.org.uk

Director: Mrs Tash Heydon

Address: Petworth, West Sussex

Pre-Application Support: Applicants can submit a one-page lay summary at any time during the year to get advice on whether proposed work falls within the Foundation's remit.

Overview

The Colt Foundation, established in 1978 by the O'Hea family, funds high-quality research in occupational and environmental health. The Foundation became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2021. With total income of £1,047,876 in 2024, primarily from investments, the Foundation distributed £561,518 in charitable expenditure. The Foundation's mission focuses particularly on “research projects concerning the health, safety, comfort and well-being of people at work, and the impacts of industrial activities and pollutants on the health of the public more widely.” The Foundation is especially interested in supporting research that can influence legislation, public policy, and working practices, with a commitment to improving health for socio-economically disadvantaged workers. The Foundation awarded its first grant in 1979 (£15,500 to the Back Pain Association) and has since become a significant funder in the occupational and environmental health research sector.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Project Grants - Amount varies by project needs (applications submitted ~12 weeks before trustee meetings held twice annually; rolling basis with fixed meeting dates)

  • High-quality research in occupational and environmental health at UK universities
  • Covers directly incurred costs only: research staff salaries, consumables, project-specific equipment, travel and subsistence
  • Does not pay indirect or directly allocated costs
  • Flexible approach to duration and budget - “proportionate, well budgeted and justified”

PhD Fellowships - Up to 4 awarded annually (fixed annual deadline)

  • Three-year fellowships for PhD study in occupational or environmental health at UK universities
  • Stipend: £25,301/year (£28,298 in London), rising with UK inflation
  • Up to £5,000/year for research expenditure
  • Full fees for UK students covered

Colt Fellowship (Post-Doctoral) - 5-year fellowship (competitive, fixed deadline when open)

  • 100% full-time salary at senior researcher/lecturer level for up to five years
  • Up to £150,000 research costs for initial project (consumables, travel, etc.)
  • Co-funded by Colt Foundation and host UK university

NIHR Colt Foundation Advanced Fellowships (Partnership Program)

  • Co-funded with NIHR for health and work research

Conference Support

  • Organising and financially supporting scientific conferences focused on occupational and environmental health research

Priority Areas

  • Respiratory medicine and lung function research
  • Toxic effects of particles and fibers (including micro- and nano-plastics)
  • Musculoskeletal health (particularly work-related conditions)
  • Occupational asthma and workplace dermatology
  • Mental health in the workplace
  • Health impacts of industrial activities and pollutants on workers and the wider public
  • Research with potential to inform policy, working practices, or clinical practices
  • Studies benefiting socio-economically disadvantaged workers
  • Research that advances knowledge about protecting or improving health related to work and environmental impacts

What They Don't Fund

  • Indirect or directly allocated costs (only directly incurred costs supported)
  • Research outside the field of occupational and environmental health
  • Non-UK based institutions
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Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel

Chairman: Professor Sir Anthony John Newman Taylor - Emeritus Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Imperial College

Director: Mrs Tash Heydon - Became Director in 2019, having previously served as a trustee for 18 years from 2001

Financial Adviser: Mr Royston Fox - Joined as Financial Adviser in 2009

Trustees (9 total)

  • Clare - Trustee since 1995, granddaughter of IJ O'Hea (foundation's founder)
  • Dr Alex Jones - Scientific Adviser since 2012, appointed as Trustee in 2021
  • Dr Ira Madan - Scientific Adviser since 2012, appointed as Trustee in 2017

Quotes from Leadership

Tash Heydon, Director, on application format: “We avoid specifying duration and cost deliberately because we just expect it to be proportionate, well budgeted and justified.”

On the flexible application approach: “It makes it more important that applicants set out their ideas logically and clearly.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Project Grants:

  • Pre-submission consultation encouraged: Submit a one-page lay summary at any time to get advice on whether work falls within the Foundation's remit
  • Full applications do not have a rigidly specified format
  • Submit approximately 12 weeks before trustee meetings
  • Applications should not exceed 3,000 words
  • Must include: research questions, methodology, potential impact, timeline, budget breakdown, brief CVs
  • Submit to: tash@coltfoundation.org.uk

PhD Fellowships:

  • Applications must be submitted by prospective students (not supervisors)
  • Submit as one document in Word format
  • No more than two weeks prior to the deadline
  • Proposal should be no more than 3,000 words
  • Include: applicant's CV, detailed letter of support from proposed supervisor, contact details of two referees
  • Submit to: tash@coltfoundation.org.uk

Colt Fellowship:

  • Applications submitted by email to tash@coltfoundation.org.uk or by post
  • After initial short-listing, subset of applicants invited to interview in London
  • Final selection made based on interview

Decision Timeline

  • Trustees meet twice annually (e.g., Autumn Board Meeting in November)
  • Applications must be received approximately 12 weeks before meetings
  • External assessors review applications in advance of trustee meetings
  • For fellowships: after initial short-listing, subset invited to interview for final selection
  • Typical timeline: ~3 months from submission to decision

Key Deadlines

  • Project Grant Application: Next deadline January/February 2026
  • PhD Applications: 12pm on 9th April 2026
  • Colt Fellowship 2026: TBC

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly available. The Foundation awards up to 4 PhD Fellowships annually and considers project grants twice per year. With annual charitable expenditure of £561,518 distributed across multiple grant types, competition is expected to be strong.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is publicly available. Contact the Foundation directly for guidance on reapplication.

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from the Funder

Clarity and Logic: Tash Heydon emphasizes that because the Foundation doesn't specify application format, “it makes it more important that applicants set out their ideas logically and clearly.”

Proportionate and Justified Budgets: The Foundation deliberately avoids specifying duration and cost because they “just expect it to be proportionate, well budgeted and justified.”

Clear Research Questions: Applications should state clearly the research question(s) and detail how they plan to answer them.

Demonstrate Impact: Explain what difference the findings might make to practice, policy, or future research priorities.

Accessible Writing: Some Board members are non-medical, so the lay summary must be clear and understandable to non-technical readers.

Show Familiarity with Literature: Demonstrate knowledge of background literature in the field.

Ethical Considerations: Include ethical approval plans for human-subject research.

Recently Funded Projects (Examples)

  • Hand dermatitis screening feasibility study (GSTT, 2024-2026)
  • Micro- and nano-plastic particulate co-exposure toxicology (Swansea University, 2023-2027)
  • MORSE - Mortality study of former professional footballers (Institute of Occupational Medicine, 2023-2025)
  • Employment barriers for autistic adults (University of Sheffield, 2023-2025)
  • Health and occupational outcomes of UK veterans (King's College London, 2024-2025)
  • Mental health practitioners' experiences of coroner inquests
  • Silica-induced lung carcinogenesis mechanisms
  • Chronic respiratory disease in relation to occupational exposures (BOLD cohort)

Language and Terminology

The Foundation uses terminology focused on:

  • “Occupational and environmental health”
  • “Health, safety, comfort and well-being of people at work”
  • “Directly incurred costs”
  • Research that can “inform policy and working practices”
  • “Improving health and wellbeing of workers and the wider population”

Tips for Standing Out

  1. Take advantage of pre-submission consultation - Submit a one-page summary to get early feedback
  2. Focus on practical impact - Emphasize how research could influence legislation, policy, or working practices
  3. Write for a mixed audience - Ensure non-medical trustees can understand the significance
  4. Be flexible yet precise - No rigid format, but justify every element logically
  5. Demonstrate policy relevance - Show understanding of how research could translate to real-world change
  6. Consider disadvantaged populations - Foundation has particular interest in improving health for socio-economically disadvantaged workers

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Flexibility is a test, not a gift: The lack of rigid application format means you must excel at logical, clear presentation - the Foundation is testing your ability to communicate complex research effectively
  • Pre-submission consultation is valuable: Use the one-page summary opportunity to validate your project fits their remit before investing time in a full application
  • Mixed board requires accessible writing: With both medical professionals and non-medical trustees, your lay summary is critical - it must be understandable to intelligent non-specialists
  • Policy impact is paramount: The Foundation repeatedly emphasizes support for research that can influence legislation, public policy, and working practices - make this connection explicit
  • Budget justification matters more than amount: There's no specified range because they expect “proportionate, well budgeted and justified” requests - focus on clear rationale
  • 12-week review timeline requires planning: Applications need ~12 weeks before meetings for external assessment, so plan submissions well in advance of your project start date
  • Focus on workers' health: The Foundation's roots are in improving workplace health, particularly for socio-economically disadvantaged workers - align your research with this mission

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References