Foundation Projects
Our primary interests are in the arts, community, education, music and sport and enabling disadvantaged people to participate fully in society. To date the Ross Foundation has given over £32m to charitable causes.
The Foundation's firm belief is that every child and young person has passions and talents. The foundation aims to help them discover their strengths by offering them a wide range of world class educational opportunities. We establish educational initiatives and support organisations to inspire young people to achieve the best that they can and encourage them to embrace new opportunities made available to them.
Our primary interests are in the arts, community, education, music and sport and enabling disadvantaged people to participate fully in society. To date the Ross Foundation has given over £32m to charitable causes.
The Ross Foundation is the sponsor of the David Ross Education Trust. The David Ross Education Trust is developing a network of unique and diverse schools and academies. There are currently 33 within the Trust group.
Key priorities are to increase the number of students participating in quality sport, to encourage and deliver quality sports competition opportunities and to provide pathways and support for talented individuals to participate and succeed in elite sport.
The Ross Foundation is a passionate supporter of projects that work towards providing greater access to the arts. The Foundation supports a number of organisations and schemes across a range of artistic fields, from music to theatre and the visual arts and is the major sponsor of Nevill Holt Opera.
Though a national charity, many of the Foundation’s activities are concentrated on the areas that David cares deeply about; areas where he is from and now lives. That is why every decision made and project supported must have a lasting impact and make a real difference to the communities that they serve.
The Ross Foundation and Rob Lucas have each donated £1m to Lincoln Medical School.
Established as a partnership between the Universities of Nottingham and Lincoln the medical school is training future generations of doctors with a focus on advancing healthcare in rural settings.
Read More
We are excited to announce a £4m donation to the National Portrait Gallery. Proceeds from the donation will help to transform the National Portrait Gallery’s biggest development of its building in St Martin’s Place since 1896. This includes the opening up of previously closed-off areas, to provide a new outdoor public space in Central London. Read More
We are proud to see that through the generosity of RF Chair, David Ross, celebrated British artist David Hockney’s Portrait of Sir David Webster will be returning to its original home at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The painting will remain available to the British public and will also be loaned to the National Portrait Gallery..
Read More.
The Ross Foundation and the British Paralympic Association are delighted to announce that they have joined forces ahead of Tokyo to support the athlete’s journey at the upcoming Summer Games this year, as well as the next Winter Games in Beijing 2022.
Read More.
Hanging Stones is an ongoing project by Andy Goldsworthy in the North Yorkshire Moors, commissioned by the Ross Foundation. It is intended that up to ten existing buildings, all in varying states of disrepair, will be rebuilt as contemporary artworks, addressing our relationship with the landscape today. More
5 December 2018 - SIR Geoff Hurst officially opens Bobby Moore Academy on London Queen Elizabeth olympic park. Bobby Moore’s close friend and team-mate opens new state-of-art secondary school alongside David Ross, the school’s sponsor and they even played a bit of football with the pupils.
Read More.
RF is very proud to launch the new theatre designed by Stirling prize winning architects Witherford Watson Mann.
“The transformation of Nevill Holt Opera in Leicestershire brings a touch of Glyndebourne to the Midlands and is a unique celebration of music, landscape and the English country house” William Cash
Watch
NPG Director Nicholas Cullinan with newly appointed Chair David Ross RF is delighted to announce that David Ross has become the new Chair of the Board of Trustees at the National Portrait Gallery. Dr Nicholas Cullinan said : “ 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.”
This Exploited Land of Iron tells the fascinating story of this trailblazing period of industrial growth and exploitation. The project will conserve and protect some of the most iconic structures and landscapes that remain, help nurture the wildlife that has reclaimed these spaces, and ensure this important part of our history is not forgotten.
The Ross Foundation has sponsored a studio at the LAMDA building in London – a new centre for world-leading drama training. LAMDA deals in excellence, talent , passion and imagination and their schools programme is delighted to be working with The David Ross Education Trust helping students to explore the arts.
Official Opening of the David Ross Sports Village at Nottingham University – this brand new facility offers an inspirational and accessible sports provision for all.
Watch The Video
The Ross Foundation is delighted to have approved a grant towards the Lincoln Cathedral Connected Project as part of a £16 million investment plan which will see work on the Cathedral’s visitor facilities, public spaces and conservation, to be completed by 2021.
Cure3 is a new art project devised by Artwise in partnership with Bonhams and The Ross Foundation to raise awareness and funds for the charity, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust. CPT funds research into ways to slow, stop and ultimately reverse Parkinson’s, a degenerative disease which currently affects more than 10 million people worldwide. Watch the full film click here
A collaborative project with The Bryan Adams Foundation, The Ross Foundation and Foster & Partners saw the redevelopment of the playground at Ashburnham Primary School in Chelsea. This gives a wonderful all weather play surface and fantastic play equipment to this inner city school allowing outdoor adventures and learning all year round.
Continuing his family's long-standing commitment to the wider community, David Ross is a passionate philanthropist, dedicated to developing opportunities for young people.
Joanne manages the day to day operations of the Foundation and the relationships with the Foundation’s partners. She enjoys working with organisations who are committed to making a positive impact to help society and bring about positive and inspiring change.
Nick trained as a Chartered Accountant working with private clients and families with small grant making charities. Since joining the Ross Foundation as Secretary to the Trustees in 2010, he has managed the administration, compliance, day to day finances and the accounting function for the Foundation.
All applications are considered by The Board of Trustees.
In assessing applications we are looking for:
An outline of your project – it’s purpose and activities
Financials – total budget, fundraising strategy and the level of funding you are seeking from DRF
Who will benefit? - Community support
Sustainability and legacy of your project
If you would like to contact us about any of our projects or to apply for funding then please contact us at:
