Editing Nuffield Foundation

{{Short description|British charitable trust, established in 1943, to support science, social science and education}}
{{Third-party|date=April 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}

The '''Nuffield Foundation''' is a charitable trust established in 1943 by [[William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield|William Morris, Lord Nuffield]], the founder of [[Morris Motors|Morris Motors Ltd]]. It aims to improve social well-being by funding research and innovation projects in education and social policy, and building research capacity in science and social science. Its current chief executive is Gavin Kelly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adewale |first=Dami |title=Former Downing Street senior staffer to lead grantmaker |url=https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/former-downing-street-senior-staffer-lead-grantmaker/management/article/1882580 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.thirdsector.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

The Foundation's income comes from the interest on its investments and it spends about £10 million on charitable activities each year. It is financially and politically independent and is governed by a board of trustees who meet four times a year.

The Foundation makes grants for research and innovation projects that aim to improve the design and operation of social policy, particularly in:

*Education 
*Welfare
*Justice

It has discontinued its Open Door programme, but remains committed to encouraging original and thought-provoking approaches to research that identify new questions and change the terms of the debate.

The Foundation also funds programmes designed to increase research capacity in science and social science. Each year it funds over 1,000 Nuffield Research Placements to give hands on research experience to 16- and 17-year-olds studying STEM subjects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Engagement-with-your-research/Support-and-resources/Schools-and-young-people/index.htm |title=Communicating your research to young people&#124; Wellcome Trust |publisher=Wellcome.ac.uk |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref>

With the ESRC and HEFCE it funds Q-Step, a £19.5 million programme designed to promote a step-change in quantitative methods training for social science undergraduates in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/newsarchive/2013/Name,93954,en.html |title=2013 - Higher Education Funding Council for England |publisher=Hefce.ac.uk |date=2013-10-02 |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref>

The Foundation has contributed to healthcare and medical research. It has a separate fund for investing in [[rheumatic disease]] research. This was bequeathed by Captain Oliver Bird in 1948. Over the next 10 years the Oliver Bird Fund will dedicate up to £12.5m on research into musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-funding-insight-2019-1-opportunity-profile-takeoff-for-musculoskeletal-research/|title=Opportunity profile: Takeoff for musculoskeletal research|date=10 January 2019}}</ref> It also has a small dedicated fund for strengthening relationships between the UK and other Commonwealth countries.

==Selected grants==

In 1951, the trust deed was amended to include "the advancement of education" as an objective of the foundation. This led to the [[Nuffield Science Teaching Project]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite book |first=Ronald W. |last=Clark | author-link = Ronald W. Clark|title=A Biography of the Nuffield Foundation |location=London |publisher=Longman |year=1972 |isbn=9780582364875 |pages=168&ndash;73 }}</ref>

In 1960, the Foundation made a multi-year grant to [[Paintings in Hospitals]] for the purchase of paintings, and occasionally sculpture, in order to establish a permanent art collection for loan to hospitals in London.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1963|title=Medical Social Work, Volume 15|journal=Medical Social Work|publisher=Institute of Medical Social Workers|volume=15}}</ref>

In 2006, together with the [[Institute for Fiscal Studies]] the Nuffield Foundation funded a proposal for a revision of the British tax system.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/mirrlees-review |title=The Mirrlees Review |publisher=Nuffield Foundation |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref> The research project was headed by Nobel laureate Sir [[James Mirrlees]].

In 2015, the Nuffield Foundation funded [[Our World in Data]], a free web-publication to share quantitative social science with the general public.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/our-place-world/max-roser |title=Max Roser &#124; University of Oxford |publisher=Ox.ac.uk |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref> This publication is used in teaching in many universities and in media coverage of the long-term perspective on global development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ourworldindata.org/media-coverage/ |title=Media Coverage of OurWorldInData.org — Our World in Data |publisher=Ourworldindata.org |date=2015-07-01 |access-date=2015-11-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104060054/http://ourworldindata.org/media-coverage/ |archive-date=4 November 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2018, the Foundation established the Ada Lovelace Institute<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/|title=Ada Lovelace Institute|website=www.adalovelaceinstitute.org}}</ref> to research ethical questions raised by big data, algorithms and [[artificial intelligence]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=From ethics to accountability, this is how AI will suck less in 2019|language=en-GB|work=Wired UK|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/artificial-intelligence-2019-predictions|access-date=2021-08-12|issn=1357-0978}}</ref>

In 2019, the Foundation launched a major review of inequalities<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ifs.org.uk/inequality/press-release/are-the-inequalities-seen-today-a-sign-of-a-broken-system-launch-of-the-ifs-deaton-review-of-inequalities/|title=Press release: Are the inequalities seen today a sign of a broken system? Launch of the IFS Deaton Review of inequalities|website=ifs.org.uk}}</ref> chaired by Professor Sir [[Angus Deaton]], and a £15m Strategic Fund for ambitious, interdisciplinary research projects that will address some of the most important challenges facing UK society and the public policy agenda in the next decade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/applications-open-for-the-nuffield-foundation-strategic-fund|title=Applications open for the Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund|date=1 October 2019}}</ref> Grants awarded through the Strategic Fund included:
*The Economy 2030 Inquiry: navigating a decade of change<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/press-releases/uk-facing-a-decisive-decade-of-change-that-the-country-is-neither-used-to-nor-prepared-for/|title=UK facing a ‘decisive decade’ of change that the country is neither used to, nor prepared for • Resolution Foundation}}</ref>
*The skills imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow's workforce<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tes.com/news/research-ps43m-funding-shape-future-skills|title=Research: £4.3m funding to shape the future of skills|website=Tes}}</ref>
*The Future of Work and Well-being: The Pissarides Review<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/4-3-million-research-to-shape-future-of-work-and-skills|title=£4.3 million for research to help shape the future of work and skills|date=23 June 2021}}</ref>
*Data and voice to improve children's lives<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/project-to-improve-sharing-of-social-care-data-receives-2-8m-grant|title=Project to improve sharing of social care data receives £2.8m grant|website=CYP Now}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Nuffield Council on Bioethics]]
* [[Nuffield Institute for Medical Research]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{oweb|http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/home/}}
*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/searchResults.asp?name=nuffield&subjectType=O&submit.x=0&submit.y=0 Records relating to projects carried out with grants from the Nuffield Foundation] at the [[National Archives]]
* {{EW charity|206601}}
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[[Category:Organizations established in 1943]]
[[Category:Foundations based in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Social welfare charities based in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1943 establishments in the United Kingdom]]