The Reginald M Phillips Charitable Foundation

Charity Number: 245232

Annual Expenditure: £0.6M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £645,767 (expenditure, year ending March 2024)
  • Annual Income: £438,336 (year ending March 2024)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: At discretion of trustees (applications via Ludlow Trust portal)
  • Grant Range: Not specified
  • Geographic Focus: UK, with strong historical focus on Sussex/Brighton area

Contact Details

Application Portal: https://funding.ludlowtrust.com

Email: charitabletrusts@ludlowtrust.com

Phone: 0117 313 8200

Charity Number: 245232

Overview

THE REGINALD M PHILLIPS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION was established by Reginald Phillips (1887-1977), a self-made property developer who built an innovative business in London's West End during the inter-war years. As a Brighton resident and friend of University of Sussex founding leadership, Phillips took great interest in the new university and upon his death gave his entire estate to establish the foundation. The foundation operates with general charitable purposes and is managed by Ludlow Trust Company Ltd as corporate trustee. While historically the foundation's primary beneficiary has been the University of Sussex, it is now open to applications through the Ludlow Trust Funding Enquiry Gateway, which matches charitable applications to over 400 trusts under Ludlow's management. In the financial year ending March 2024, the foundation had an income of £438,336 and expenditure of £645,767.

Funding Priorities

Historical Funding Focus Areas

Based on the foundation's legacy giving pattern, priority areas have included:

  • Scientific Research: Creation and ongoing support of the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at Sussex, now a world-leading department advising governments globally
  • Life Sciences Research: Investment in state-of-the-art microscopes and equipment for research into treatments for cancer and Alzheimer's disease
  • Visual Impairment Education: Heavy investment in technologies for the education of blind and visually impaired children, including establishment of the RM Phillips Research Network
  • Medical Research: Support for research into Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
  • Disability Education: Technologies for the education of deaf, blind, and partially-sighted children

Grant Programs

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through the Ludlow Trust Funding Enquiry Gateway at https://funding.ludlowtrust.com. UK registered charities and exempt charities are eligible to apply. Projects can be located in the UK or overseas.

What They Don't Fund

Not specified in available public information.

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Governance and Leadership

  • Structure: One trustee (Ludlow Trust Company Ltd serves as corporate trustee)
  • Trustee Remuneration: One or more trustees receive payments or benefits from the charity for providing services
  • Employees: No employees with total benefits over £60,000
  • Corporate Trustee: Managed by Ludlow Trust Company Ltd, which administers over 400 charitable trusts

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through the Ludlow Trust Funding Enquiry Gateway at https://funding.ludlowtrust.com.

Applicants can either:

  1. Target their application to The Reginald M Phillips Charitable Foundation specifically if they believe their work aligns with the foundation's objectives
  2. Submit a general application that can be matched to any of the 400+ charitable trusts managed by Ludlow

The application requires information about the charity and the work requiring funding, including specific areas of focus (particular project, geography, or beneficiary group).

Decision Timeline

Decision-making timeframes are at the discretion of the trustees once applications are matched via the Gateway. There are no fixed application deadlines - applications may be submitted at any time on a rolling basis.

Success Rates

Success rate data specific to The Reginald M Phillips Charitable Foundation is not publicly available. However, Ludlow Trust's Gateway has facilitated over £5 million in donations since its launch in September 2023, with nearly 8,000 applications received, suggesting approximately 31% of applications across all Ludlow-managed trusts receive funding matches.

Reapplication Policy

Not specified in available public information.

Application Success Factors

Strong Alignment Areas

Based on the foundation's history and the founder's interests:

  • Scientific research with real-world policy impact
  • Medical research focused on neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)
  • Life sciences requiring specialized equipment or facilities
  • Visual impairment education and assistive technologies
  • Disability education focusing on deaf, blind, and partially-sighted beneficiaries
  • Educational innovation in science and technology

Historical Beneficiary

The University of Sussex has been the primary historical beneficiary, with the foundation's founder having bequeathed his entire estate to the university. Current applicants should be aware of this strong institutional relationship, though the foundation's listing on the Ludlow Trust public portal indicates openness to broader applications.

Application Through Ludlow Trust Gateway

Applications benefit from Ludlow Trust's matching system, which reviews proposals and connects them with appropriate trusts based on trustees' personal areas of charitable interest. This removes “an element of luck in choosing which specific trust to apply to” and allows proposals to be considered by multiple potential funders simultaneously.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • The foundation has a very specific historical legacy focused on University of Sussex, scientific research, and disability education - applicants outside these areas should carefully consider alignment
  • Applications must go through the Ludlow Trust Funding Enquiry Gateway rather than direct contact with the foundation
  • No fixed deadlines means applications can be submitted at any time on a rolling basis
  • The founder's personal interests were in scientific innovation, medical research (particularly neurodegenerative diseases), and education technology for disabled children
  • The Ludlow Trust system allows applications to be matched to multiple trusts simultaneously, potentially increasing funding opportunities
  • Limited public information is available about current funding priorities, grant amounts, or successful recent recipients beyond University of Sussex
  • Given the close historical relationship with Sussex University and the founder's bequest of his entire estate to the university, this foundation may have limited capacity or interest in funding beyond that relationship

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