Peter Sowerby Foundation

The Peter Sowerby Foundation, established in 2011 by Dr Peter Sowerby—a rural North Yorkshire GP and co-founder of EMIS—with a substantial endowment, advances philanthropic priorities in health innovation, primary healthcare access, and community wellbeing. Guided by trustees with expertise in finance, health, and governance, its mission emphasizes technological advancement, digital/data-driven solutions, preventative approaches, and sustainability, filling gaps overlooked by mainstream funders through creative, high-impact projects that ensure long-term systemic change.

It operates two key funds: the Impact in Healthcare Fund, addressing NHS pressures via outreach, digital health, and preventative care (e.g., grants to AESOP's Dance to Health for falls prevention, Target Ovarian Cancer's early diagnosis, and Alzheimer’s Society dementia initiatives); and the Good Causes Fund, supporting education, environment, community resilience, and rural initiatives, especially in North & East Yorkshire. Funding covers project delivery, core costs, staffing, digital transformation, capacity building, scale-up, and occasional capital, targeting UK-registered charities, community groups, and healthcare providers—preferring those with incomes under £1m (ideally ~£500k for non-health grants) demonstrating robust evidence of need and innovation.

Unsolicited applications are discouraged; aligned organizations submit a brief synopsis with budget and timeline via the website's contact page for trustee review, leading to a two-stage process (discussion then invited full application) on a rolling basis with no deadlines or fixed meetings. Typical grants range £10,000–£500,000 (up to £2–3m exceptionally over multiple years), prioritizing at-risk projects for sustainability over mainstream overlaps. Distinctive for strategic sourcing and tech-leveraged impact, it has distributed over £10m to 63+ organizations UK-wide.