The Hill Foundation

Charity Number: 1086396

Annual Expenditure: £2.4M
Geographic Focus: Throughout England

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Quick Stats

  • Registered Charity Number: 1086396
  • Annual Expenditure: £2.38-3.4 million (2023-24)
  • Primary Focus: Scholarships to Russian students
  • Organizational Grants: Yes, but discretionary
  • Grant Example: £80,000 to Royal Academy of Music (2024)
  • Geographic Focus: England (supporting Russian nationals)
  • Application Process: No public process for organizational grants

Contact Details

Address: 4 Hill Street, Mayfair, London W1J 5NE

Secretary/Trustee: Alastair Tulloch

Email: alastair.tulloch@hillfoundation.org.uk

Telephone: +44 207 318 1180

Fax: +44 207 318 1150

Website: www.hillfoundation.org.uk (limited public information available)

Overview

The Hill Foundation, registered as a UK charity in 2001, is a specialized funder primarily focused on awarding scholarships to Russian students at Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and the Royal Academy of Music. Since 2000, the foundation has awarded over 100 scholarships to Russian nationals across a wide variety of scholarly fields. Beyond its scholarship program, the foundation's grant-making policy explicitly includes support for “educational establishments, cultural exchanges, conferences and promotion of Russian art and culture, with an emphasis on youth.”

The foundation operates with limited public transparency regarding its donors and decision-making processes. With three trustees and annual expenditure significantly exceeding income (£3.4 million expenditure against £322,645 income in 2024-25), the foundation appears to be spending down reserves. In the 2023-24 academic year, the selection committee awarded 28 scholarships to Russian students (14 at Oxford, 14 at Cambridge). The foundation also makes occasional organizational grants, such as a £80,000 grant to the Royal Academy of Music in 2024.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Primary Activity: Individual Scholarships

  • Hill Foundation Scholarships for Russian nationals at Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and Royal Academy of Music
  • Covers 100% of course fees plus living costs grant (minimum £13,863)
  • Awards made for full duration of fee liability
  • Available for any graduate courses, second BA courses, and doctoral programs
  • Approximately 10-28 scholarships awarded annually (numbers have fluctuated since 2022)

Secondary Activity: Organizational Grants

  • Support for educational establishments
  • Funding for cultural exchanges
  • Conference support
  • Promotion of Russian art and culture
  • Emphasis on youth-focused initiatives
  • Recent example: £80,000 to Royal Academy of Music (2024)

Priority Areas

The foundation's focus is highly specialized:

  • Russian cultural promotion and preservation
  • Educational opportunities for Russian nationals in the UK
  • Cultural exchange programs involving Russia
  • Russian art and music
  • Educational establishments with Russian connections
  • Youth-focused cultural and educational initiatives

What They Don't Fund

Given the foundation's highly specific mission, they would not fund:

  • Organizations or projects without a clear connection to Russian culture or education
  • General UK educational or cultural projects unrelated to Russia
  • Projects not focused on youth or educational advancement
  • Applications from individuals or organizations outside the Russian cultural/educational sphere
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Governance and Leadership

The foundation operates with three trustees who receive no remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Key Personnel:

Alastair Tulloch - Secretary and longest-serving trustee (appointed May 2007)

  • Principal of Tulloch & Co, a legal and advisory firm
  • Manages the foundation from offices at 4 Hill Street, Mayfair, London

The foundation maintains limited public information about its governance structure and decision-making processes. According to the charity's registration, there is “no public information regarding who the donors of Hill Foundation are.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Important Note: The Hill Foundation does not operate a public application process for organizational grants.

For Individual Scholarships: Russian students must apply through the universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, or Royal Academy of Music) as part of their course applications. The universities manage the Hill Foundation scholarship selection process.

For Organizational Grants: There is no published application procedure. The foundation's organizational grants appear to be made at the trustees' discretion, likely through pre-existing relationships with institutions. The £80,000 grant to the Royal Academy of Music in 2024 suggests the foundation maintains ongoing relationships with partner institutions.

Decision Timeline

For Scholarships: Decisions are made through university selection committees during the standard academic admissions cycle.

For Organizational Grants: No public information available. The discretionary nature of these grants suggests they may be awarded on a case-by-case basis throughout the year.

Success Rates

For Individual Scholarships:

  • Recent years: approximately 10-28 awards per year
  • 2023-24: 28 scholarships awarded (14 Oxford, 14 Cambridge)
  • Historical total: Over 100 scholarships since 2000

For Organizational Grants: No data available. The limited public information and lack of application process suggests very few organizational grants are made annually.

Application Success Factors

Given the lack of a public application process for organizational grants, success likely depends on:

  1. Pre-existing Relationship: The Royal Academy of Music grant suggests the foundation works with institutions it already knows and trusts, particularly those hosting Hill Foundation scholars.
  1. Alignment with Russian Cultural Mission: Projects must demonstrably promote Russian art, culture, or educational exchange. The foundation's scholarship program focuses on “creating a community of Oxford scholars and alumni who will work to improve Russian life and culture.”
  1. Institutional Credibility: The foundation partners with prestigious institutions (Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Royal Academy of Music), suggesting they value established educational excellence.
  1. Youth Focus: The foundation's policy explicitly emphasizes youth in its grant-making for cultural exchanges, conferences, and educational establishments.
  1. Educational Purpose: All funding appears directed toward advancing education, whether through individual scholarships or institutional support.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Highly Specialized Niche: This funder is only relevant to organizations working specifically with Russian culture, art, or educational exchange. Do not approach if your work doesn't have a clear Russian connection.
  • No Public Application Process: Organizations cannot submit unsolicited grant applications. Access appears to be through relationship-building and institutional connections.
  • Scholarship-Focused: The overwhelming majority of funding goes to individual scholarships. Organizational grants appear to be occasional and discretionary.
  • Partner Institution Strategy: Organizations hosting Hill Foundation scholars (universities, conservatories) may have the best access to additional funding for programs supporting those students or promoting Russian cultural exchange.
  • Limited Transparency: The foundation operates with minimal public disclosure about its donors, decision-making, or grant-making beyond the scholarship program.
  • Contact Through Trustee: Any exploratory contact would need to go through Alastair Tulloch, the foundation's secretary. However, given the lack of public application process, unsolicited inquiries may not be welcomed.
  • Financial Trajectory: The foundation is currently spending down reserves (expenditure significantly exceeds income), which may affect future grant-making capacity.

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References

  • Charity Commission financial records for The Hill Foundation (2023-24 and 2024-25 annual returns)