The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund supports research, education and roadside improvement projects that promote advances in road related UK transport policy, design, management and practice through grant support.
The Trust favours proposals which have national, rather than local significance and those which involve other funding partners. It welcomes proposals and ideas for innovative topics and projects and, from time to time, will identify areas of potential interest on its News page. A useful source of background and additional information about the Trust’s work can be found in its Annual Report.
The objectives of the Trust are (these should be reflected in any grant proposals):
o To contribute to the cost of lectures, studies and scholarship, and to fund bursaries for the pursuit of relevant post graduate transport qualifications, with the aim of promoting improvement of the design, layout and construction of public highways, and of adjoining land, in terms of safety, functionality and beauty.
o To promote and support projects that improve the roadside environment and enable greater appreciation of the countryside and open spaces.
o To encourage and deliver the improvement of existing, and provision of additional, public highways, bridges, tunnels, footpaths, verges, and cycleways…. in terms of safety, functionality, and beauty, and
o To support projects and initiatives that would demonstrably continue the life work of the founder in promoting the design, functionality, and appreciation of highways.
Grant awards are normally for between £5,000 and £30,000, with a few awards made outside of these grant parameters (generally up to £50,000) for projects that can be delivered between 1 and 2 years from the date of award.
Grants are normally awarded against the following 3 priorities:
1. Educational projects.
2. Physical projects, and
3. Research projects.
In 2023 the Fund received applications for funding of £439,911 and made grant awards of £156,460.
Funding is not available for:
o Projects that are likely to lead to unsustainable or insensitive increases in traffic.
o Projects that include political campaigns or political campaigning as defined by the Charity Commission.
o Projects that include training or education products that are not to be made available free of charge to the target audience, unless the case for charging a fee is exceptionally strong and will not be a potential barrier to participation.
o Projects that relate to private land which does not allow free public access 24/7 over at least a 5-year basis.
o Projects that seek replacement funding or ongoing revenue support.
o Projects that take place on privately-owned roads.
o Projects with a focus outside of the UK.
o Projects that can be more appropriately funded by others (such as local or national government agencies or research or funding bodies), or
o Project which duplicate or are very similar to existing pieces of work.
The Trust operates a 2-stage application process, as follows:
1. Stage 1: contact the Trust’s secretary, Ruth Bravery (contact details below) to register an interest in applying. The deadline for registering n interest is normally 6 weeks before the application deadline.
2. Stage 2: applicants that successful pass Stage 1 will be invited to submit a Full Application.
The deadline for Full Applications is Friday 5th April 2024. Expressions of interest should be made by Friday 23rd February 2024.
There is one further application round in 2024. The deadline for Full Applications is Friday 4th October 2024. This means that applicant should log their interest in applying with the Trust Secretary by Friday 30th August 2024.
Further information and guidance is available on the Trust’s website. The Full Application form is only released to applicants that are invited to apply to the Stage 2 (Full Application) phase.
