Robert Luff Foundation Limited

The Robert Luff Foundation Limited, established in 1977 by impresario Robert Charles William Luff CBE, is a UK-based grant-making charity headquartered in Oxfordshire, funded primarily through endowment investments. Its enduring mission is to advance medical research and healthcare for public benefit, supporting teaching hospitals, hospices, and research institutions to enhance disease understanding, treatment, cures, and clinical care, including palliative and end-of-life services. Guided by a conservative ethos of stewardship and measurable impact, the foundation prioritizes transformative health advances, favoring repeat funding to established organizations over short-term or community-level initiatives.

It funds medical research across broad health topics—such as genetic and rare diseases, major disease programs, and innovative medical practices—alongside core operational support and multi-year projects for UK-wide charities, hospital trusts, and national health bodies like Genetic Alliance UK and Leukaemia UK. Beneficiaries include reputable, accredited institutions delivering research translation, policy work, and patient care improvements, with a strong emphasis on hospices and teaching hospitals.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities or academic institutions operating anywhere in the UK (England and Wales focus), preferably medium-to-large organizations with proven track records; smaller or grassroots groups are rarely supported. Grants typically range from £10,000 to £450,000 (average ~£27,000). Submit a written letter anytime by post or email to Mr R P J Price, outlining aims, project alignment, and charitable status; decisions occur at quarterly trustee meetings on a rolling basis, with no deadlines or online portal.

Distinctive for its lack of public website, strategic plan, or formal forms, the foundation excludes non-medical causes, general welfare, or unproven applicants, standing out as a reliable partner for substantial, repeat medical research funding rather than responsive or micro-grants.