The Ross Foundation

Charity Number: 1121871

Annual Expenditure: £32.0M

Stay updated on changes from The Ross Foundation and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Over £32m to date (approximately £27m reported in earlier sources)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly specified
  • Grant Range: £250 - £4,000,000+ (Community Fund: £250-£1,000; Major grants: £1m-£4m)
  • Geographic Focus: National (England and Wales), with strong regional focus on Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottingham, and East Midlands

Contact Details

Address: 10 St James's Place, London, SW1A 1NP

Phone: 020 7534 1557

Email: secretary@davidrossfoundation.com

Website: www.davidrossfoundation.co.uk

Overview

The Ross Foundation (registered as The Ross Foundation, charity number 1121871) was established in 2007 by entrepreneur and philanthropist David Ross, co-founder of The Carphone Warehouse Group plc. The foundation is a grant-making charity working in England and Wales, having distributed over £32 million to charitable causes to date. The foundation's mission centers on helping children and young people discover their strengths and fulfill their potential through diverse educational opportunities. While operating as a national charity, the foundation concentrates many activities in areas personally meaningful to David Ross—particularly Lincolnshire (where he is from), Leicestershire (where he lives at Nevill Holt Hall), and the broader East Midlands region. The foundation emphasizes that “every decision made and project supported must have a lasting impact and make a real difference to the communities that they serve.”

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Major Strategic Grants: £1m - £4m+

Large-scale transformational projects in education, arts, and culture. Examples include the £4m National Portrait Gallery transformation, £1.5m Lincoln Castle Magna Carta Vault, and £1m Lincoln Medical School donation. Applications considered by the Board of Trustees on an ongoing basis.

John Ross MBE Community Fund: £250 - £1,000

Established in June 2011 in memory of David Ross's father, this fund has distributed nearly £50,000 to local causes. Helps small community groups buy equipment, improve facilities, or sustain operations. Focus on North East Lincolnshire and Grimsby area.

Priority Areas

Education

  • Academy schools through the David Ross Education Trust (34 schools across England, 10 in Lincolnshire)
  • University partnerships and access programs (Nottingham Potential Programme for disadvantaged young people)
  • Medical education (Lincoln Medical School partnership)
  • Educational opportunities for children to discover talents and strengths

Sport

  • Increasing student participation in quality sport
  • Quality sports competition opportunities
  • Pathways and support for talented individuals in elite sport
  • Sports facilities (David Ross Sports Village at Nottingham University)
  • Paralympic athletes support

Arts and Culture

  • Projects providing greater access to the arts
  • Music (major sponsor of Nevill Holt Opera, founded by David Ross in 2013)
  • Theatre and visual arts
  • National institutions (National Portrait Gallery, Royal Opera House)
  • Contemporary art projects (Andy Goldsworthy's Hanging Stones Art Project in North Yorkshire Moors)
  • Cultural heritage (Lincoln Cathedral Connected Project)

Community

  • Community cohesion and volunteering across age groups
  • Projects “by the community for the community”
  • Alleviating hardship in deprived urban areas
  • Enabling disadvantaged people to participate fully in society

What They Don't Fund

Not explicitly stated on public materials. However, the foundation's focus is clearly on education, sport, arts/culture, and community projects that create lasting impact, particularly benefiting children and young people.

Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for The Ross Foundation?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Founder: David Ross, entrepreneur and philanthropist who co-founded The Carphone Warehouse Group plc in 1991. Currently Chair of the National Portrait Gallery (appointed 2017, reappointed) and Trustee of Uppingham School. Board member of the British Olympic Association and Commonwealth Games England.

Board of Trustees: All applications are considered by the Board of Trustees. Known trustees include Lady Caroline Ryder CVO MBE (also involved with Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and The Outward Bound Trust).

Key Staff:

  • Joanne Hoareau: Manages day-to-day operations and relationships with foundation partners
  • Nick (Secretary to Trustees): Joined 2010, manages administration, compliance, day-to-day finances, and accounting

David Ross on his philanthropic approach:

“As the Chairman of the Royal Opera House and the National Portrait Gallery I care deeply about the arts being as accessible as possible and their educational value.”

On his appointment as NPG Chair: “I am absolutely delighted to have been asked to become Chair of the National Portrait Gallery, after a long association with this outstanding institution. We are entering an exciting time for the Gallery with many opportunities and challenges ahead.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted to the Board of Trustees for consideration. The foundation looks for specific information in applications:

Required Information:

  • Project outline: Purpose and activities
  • Financials: Total budget, fundraising strategy, and the specific funding amount sought from the David Ross Foundation
  • Beneficiaries: Who will benefit from the project

Contact: Applications and inquiries should be directed to secretary@davidrossfoundation.com or by phone at 020 7534 1557.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly specified. Given the scale of grants (ranging from £250 to multi-million pound awards), decision timelines likely vary significantly based on grant size and complexity.

Success Rates

Not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Not publicly specified.

Application Success Factors

Alignment with Foundation Values

The foundation emphasizes lasting impact and real difference to communities. Successful applications demonstrate:

  • Long-term transformational potential
  • Clear community benefit
  • Focus on children and young people discovering their talents
  • Connection to education, sport, arts, or community development

Geographic Connection

While national in scope, the foundation shows strong preference for projects in:

  • Lincolnshire (David Ross's home county)
  • Leicestershire (where he currently lives)
  • Nottingham and East Midlands region
  • Yorkshire

Applications from or benefiting these regions may have strategic advantage.

Scale and Ambition

The foundation supports both grassroots community projects (£250-£1,000) and major transformational initiatives (£1m-£4m). Projects should be appropriately scoped:

  • Community Fund: Small, practical needs for local groups
  • Major grants: Nationally significant, transformational projects with broad reach

Recent Funded Projects as Examples

  • National Portrait Gallery: £4m for building transformation and public space development
  • Lincoln Medical School: £1m for training doctors in rural healthcare
  • Lincoln Castle: £1.5m for Magna Carta Vault
  • Nevill Holt Opera: Major ongoing sponsorship bringing opera to the Midlands
  • David Ross Sports Village: Significant donation to Nottingham University
  • Nottingham Potential Programme: Lead sponsorship helping disadvantaged young people reach university
  • Andy Goldsworthy Art Project: Ongoing contemporary art commission in North Yorkshire Moors
  • David Ross Education Trust: Over £4.2m (2014-16) supporting 34 academy schools

Strategic Positioning

Dr Nicholas Cullinan (NPG Director) described what the foundation values: "David's passion and commitment to the arts and keen interest in education and inspiring the young will prove invaluable as we embark on our ambitious plans to reach out to new audiences across the UK."

Successful applications likely demonstrate:

  • Passion and commitment to the cause
  • Educational value and youth inspiration
  • Reaching new or underserved audiences
  • Accessibility to broader communities
  • Innovation within traditional sectors

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Demonstrate lasting impact: The foundation's core criterion is that every project “must have a lasting impact and make a real difference to the communities that they serve.” Articulate long-term transformation, not short-term fixes.
  • Focus on young people: The foundation believes “every child and young person has passions and talents” and wants to help them discover strengths. Frame your project around youth development and opportunity creation.
  • Consider geographic alignment: While open to national applications, projects in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottingham, and East Midlands have strategic advantage given David Ross's personal connection to these areas.
  • Match grant size to project scale: The foundation operates at two distinct levels—small community grants (£250-£1,000) and transformational major grants (£1m+). Don't under-ask for genuinely ambitious projects or over-ask for modest community needs.
  • Emphasize accessibility: Whether in arts, education, or sport, the foundation values “providing greater access” to opportunities. Show how your project breaks down barriers and reaches underserved communities.
  • Think partnership and leverage: Major grants often involve university partnerships, national institutions, or multi-million pound capital campaigns. Demonstrate how David Ross Foundation funding leverages other resources and creates multiplier effects.
  • Be clear and specific in financials: The foundation explicitly requests total budget, fundraising strategy, and specific amount sought. Provide transparent, well-researched financial information showing how their grant fits into the broader funding picture.

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References

  • David Ross Foundation official website, www.davidrossfoundation.co.uk