Vaughan Williams Foundation

Charity Number: 1193080

Annual Expenditure: £0.4M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £354,549 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: 12 weeks from deadline
  • Grant Range: Up to £5,000 (most grants under £3,000)
  • Geographic Focus: UK, Republic of Ireland, and overseas

Contact Details

Website: www.vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org

Email: rvw@vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org

Phone: 020 7223 3385

Address: 13 Calico Row, London SW11 3YH

For funding enquiries, applicants should first consult the funding page, application guidelines, and funding conditions on the website before contacting the Foundation.

Overview

The Vaughan Williams Foundation (VWF) was established in 2022, marking the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams' birth, by merging the RVW Trust and the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust. Funded by royalties from RVW's music, the Foundation has quickly become one of the foremost sources of funding for recent and contemporary music in the UK. In its first year (2023), VWF awarded 165 grants totalling £354,549 across festivals, composer career development, recording projects, commissioning, student bursaries, and projects celebrating the legacy of Ralph and Ursula Vaughan Williams. The Foundation's principal aims are to support fellow composers through funding for performances and recordings, and to make RVW's work widely accessible to the general public, honouring his commitment to supporting “good work in whatever style or school.”

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

1. Support for Professional Composers (£100-£5,000)

Funding for performance, commissioning, or recording of music by professional British/Irish composers active in the last 100 years; projects creating developmental opportunities for composers; and work promoting awareness of British/Irish music of the last 100 years. Most grants are under £3,000, and the Foundation is unlikely to contribute more than 50% of total budget. Applications via online form with three annual deadlines.

2. Ralph and Ursula Vaughan Williams Legacy Projects (£100-£5,000)

Support for work furthering knowledge and understanding of Ralph and Ursula Vaughan Williams' lives and work, including recordings, films, performances of lesser-known repertoire, publishing, research projects, and educational resources. Applications via online form with three annual deadlines.

3. Vaughan Williams Bursaries (£6,000)

Annual awards for talented students on their first taught Masters courses in composition at UK universities or conservatoires. Open to British/Irish composers or those resident in the UK for minimum three years. Applications reopen in December.

4. Vaughan Williams Scholarships (£8,000)

Annual awards for exceptionally talented PhD and Masters composition students at British universities or conservatoires who anticipate a career as a professional composer. Entry open to British/Irish composers or those resident in the UK for minimum three years. Applications reopen in December.

Priority Areas

  • Public performances of contemporary British/Irish classical music
  • Music festivals showcasing composer work
  • Recording projects featuring underrepresented composers
  • Commissioning new works
  • Composer career development opportunities
  • Research and educational resources on Ralph and Ursula Vaughan Williams
  • Student support for emerging composition talent

What They Don't Fund

General Exclusions:

  • Retrospective projects (work or spending already completed)
  • Performances of composers currently in higher education
  • Performances by student ensembles
  • Projects outside British/Irish composer focus (last 100 years)

Postgraduate Scholarship Exclusions:

  • TV/film/gaming composition courses
  • Courses teaching only electro-acoustic composition
  • Performance courses or those where composition is not sole focus
  • Research courses centred on musicology or analysis
  • Courses outside the UK
  • Previous Vaughan Williams Bursary recipients
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Governance and Leadership

Chair: Sally Groves MBE - Close friend of Ursula Vaughan Williams, former music publisher responsible for Schott Music London's contemporary music catalogue, recipient of RPS Lesley Boosey Award. Chaired VWCT and served on RVW Trust until 2022.

Director: Rosie Johnson MBE - Worked over 40 years as administrator and publisher supporting British composers. Previously Executive Director of Royal Philharmonic Society for 20 years, became secretary of RVW Trust in 2018.

Trustees (10 total):

  • John Axon - Former trustee of Help Musicians (2006-2021)
  • Professor Richard Causton - Composer, Professor of Composition at University of Cambridge, former RVW Trust Trustee (2018-2022)
  • Hugh Cobbe - Former Head of Music Collections at British Library, chaired RVW Trust (2008-2022)
  • Sam Wigglesworth, Harriet Wybor, Raymond Yiu

Key Quote from Sally Groves MBE: “Ralph Vaughan Williams was the most quietly generous of men, with an unquenchable interest in all music. We are delighted that the Vaughan Williams Foundation will allow his generosity of spirit to continue and will benefit composers and performers well beyond the life of his musical copyrights.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

General Grants: Applications made via online form at www.vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org/funding

Application Deadlines (three annual rounds):

  • Monday 5 January 2026
  • Friday 1 May 2026
  • Thursday 3 September 2026

Important Requirements:

  • Projects must be scheduled minimum three months after application deadline
  • Applicants must agree to complete application by stated deadline
  • Update Foundation about significant changes to artistic or financial plans

Decision Timeline

  • Trustees meet following each deadline to review applications
  • Applicants notified of decision within 12 weeks of deadline
  • Trustees' deliberations are confidential
  • No detailed individual application feedback provided

Success Rates

Specific success rates not publicly disclosed. In 2023, the Foundation awarded 165 grants totalling £354,549 across various categories:

  • Public Performance: 78 grants (average £1,912)
  • Music Festivals: 20 grants (average £2,750)
  • Recordings: 39 grants (average £1,887)
  • Student Bursaries: 6 grants (average £5,000)
  • Vaughan Williams projects: 20 grants (average £1,892)

Reapplication Policy

Personal information for unsuccessful applicants is not retained, though the Foundation maintains statistical records of all applications. No explicit waiting period mentioned for reapplications - applicants may apply at any of the three annual deadlines.

Application Success Factors

Grant Acceptance Requirements:

  • Confirm acceptance within 10 days of offer
  • Provide public credit in programs, scores, recordings, publications, social media
  • Use Foundation logo in acknowledgments
  • Submit evidence of Foundation credit before payment
  • Provide 2 hard copies of final work/publication

Funded Project Examples (2023):

  • Major festivals: Cheltenham Music Festival, Three Choirs, Spitalfields Music, Oxford International Song Festival, English Music Festival, Presteigne Festival, Sound Festival Scotland
  • Sheffield Music in the Round: WeCompose (composer development project)
  • Bard College Festival of RVW's music (Annandale on Hudson, NY)
  • Previous Bursary recipients: Graham Fitkin, Anna Meredith, Gavin Higgins, Hannah Kendall, Daniel Kidane

Foundation Values (from mission):

  • “Support good work in whatever style or school”
  • “Unquenchable interest in all music”
  • Commitment to composer development beyond copyright life
  • Making music widely accessible

Strategic Tips:

  • Foundation unlikely to fund more than 50% of total budget - demonstrate other funding sources
  • Most grants under £3,000 - calibrate request accordingly
  • Strong emphasis on British/Irish composers active in last 100 years
  • Projects should demonstrate artistic merit and professional standards
  • Link to composer development or accessibility valued

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Align with mission: Connect your project to either contemporary British/Irish composition (last 100 years) or Ralph/Ursula Vaughan Williams' legacy - straying outside these areas will result in rejection
  • Budget realistically: Request under £3,000 for strongest consideration; demonstrate other funding sources covering at least 50% of costs
  • Plan ahead: Projects must begin minimum three months after deadline - allow 15+ weeks from application to decision to project start
  • Professional focus: Student performances and composers in higher education are ineligible - emphasize professional artistic standards
  • Acknowledge generously: Foundation requires public credit in multiple formats - factor this into your project communications plan
  • Style-agnostic: Foundation supports “good work in whatever style or school” - don't feel constrained to traditional classical forms
  • Strategic timing: Three annual deadlines provide flexibility - choose the deadline that best aligns with your project timeline

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References

Sally Groves MBE quote from Boosey & Hawkes launch article