Ove Arup Foundation

The Ove Arup Foundation, an independent UK charity established in 1989 to honor pioneering engineer Sir Ove Arup, advances public education in architecture, engineering, and the built environment. Guided by values of interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and social-purpose design, it fosters new thinking through research, teaching initiatives, and knowledge dissemination, prioritizing projects that educate students and professionals on design technologies, social dimensions, and multi-disciplinary approaches to construction.

It funds project-specific initiatives like research commissions, curriculum innovations, educational programs, and occasional scholarships via institutions, targeting undergraduate/postgraduate training, interdisciplinary collaborations between architects, engineers, and built environment experts, with a preference for high-impact efforts reaching wide audiences. Beneficiaries are primarily universities, research centers, and professional bodies delivering innovative education.

Eligible applicants are UK-based academic institutions and established organizations (medium to large size, no strict income limits) delivering projects mainly in England and Wales; exceptional international high-impact initiatives are considered. Unsolicited applications are welcomed via downloadable form emailed to foundation@ovearupfoundation.org, assessed quarterly at trustee meetings (early December, March, June, September), with mid-month deadlines preceding each (e.g., mid-November). Typical grants range £2,000–£20,000, totaling around £509,000 annually.

The Foundation excludes direct individual support, unrestricted/core funding, people/communities without institutional ties, and supplementary materials; it stands out for its Arup Group ties, expert trustees/advisors, strategic selectivity, and emphasis on catalyzing sector change through next-generation built environment education.