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Strategic Fund

Nuffield Foundation

TraditionalFoundation grant

Large research grants for original and ambitious projects that confront the scale and urgency of the UK's biggest social and economic challenges. Projects run two to five years, making this one of the few UK routes to programme-scale funding for applied social research outside the research councils. A two-stage process; applicants may first email a one-page summary to check fit before applying.

Indicative award
Amount not published (total award)Figures published in GBP so numeric fields are left null: the page states grants of £1 million to £3 million over 2 to 5 years.
Timing
Annual cycleAnnual cycle · MarNo specific published date recorded. This funder publishes a cycle rather than a date, and this database does not invent one.The cycle shown on the page ran outline applications in March 2026, full applications June/July 2026, decisions December 2026 and earliest project start January 2027. No future-dated deadline for the next round is published, so nextDeadline is null; expect a spring outline stage.
Who can apply
Mid-career & senior, Any faculty rank, Community organisation
Eligibility
The Foundation will not fund individuals without formal employment or another relationship with the institution hosting the grant, and will not fund projects led by undergraduates or master's students. Academics on fixed-term contracts may apply if the host organisation confirms they will remain employed for the whole grant period. As with other Nuffield funds the host must be UK-based, and voluntary sector organisations as well as universities can host.
SSWR clusters
Topics
large-scale social research · economic and social challenges · systems change
Apply at
https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/funding-for-research/strategic-fund
This entry
Curated by the working group. Written 2026-08-07. The funder link has not yet been machine-checked.

Amounts and dates on this page are indicative and are maintained by people rather than scraped. Funders change ceilings, windows and eligibility without notice; confirm all details at the source above before applying.

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