Ovingdean Hall Foundation

Ovingdean Hall Foundation, established in 2012 following the closure of Ovingdean Hall School for Deaf Children, is a UK-based grantmaking charity dedicated to advancing the education—including social, physical, and emotional development—of deaf and hearing-impaired children and young people across the UK. Rooted in the school's legacy and partnered with the Ewing Foundation, it upholds values of inclusion, empowerment, and combating isolation, informed by deep sector expertise. Distinctively, it stands as one of the UK's rare funders exclusively focused on deaf youth, supporting teacher training via the Con Powell Memorial Scholarships administered with BATOD, alongside targeted project grants for existing partners.

It prioritizes high-impact educational projects, specialist equipment, sensory and music rooms, sports and performing arts programs (e.g., Panathlon events), peer engagement, and wellbeing initiatives that build confidence and reduce exclusion for deaf children, with secondary benefits to families and communities. Past grantees include SignHealth, National Deaf Children’s Society, Music and The Deaf, and local trusts, funding interventions from extracurricular activities to therapeutic resources.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and community groups (historically favoring those with incomes under £25,000), with no geographic restrictions provided beneficiaries are UK-based deaf youth; teacher scholarship applicants must be UK residents training in England. However, main grants are closed to unsolicited applications, limited to existing partners. The only open route is annual Con Powell Scholarships (2025 round closed 7 April; future spring deadlines via BATOD online form), covering full course fees (£2,000–£25,000 typical past range). It avoids core costs or unrestricted funding, emphasizing monitored, measurable impact through rigorous due diligence.