Vaughan Williams Foundation launched

The RVW Trust and Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust have announced a merger, forming the Vaughan Williams Foundation (VWF). The new charity will offer general funding grants for organisations and individuals as well as postgraduate bursaries.

The new foundation was launched at a celebration of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s 150th birthday held at LSO St Luke’s last week. Applications for VWF funding are now open, with the first grants scheduled to be announced in March 2023. You can find more information, including how to apply, at the VWF website.

Sally Groves MBE, who will chair the new Foundation said: ‘Ralph Vaughan Williams was the most quietly generous of men, with an unquenchable interest in all music. We are delighted that the Vaughan Williams Foundation will allow his generosity of spirit to continue and will benefit composers and performers well beyond the life of his musical copyrights.’

Both the RVW Trust and Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust were created by Ralph Vaughan Williams and his wife, Ursula. The RVW Trust was set up in 1956 to distribute income from performing rights in Vaughan Williams’ music to the next generation of composers.

Daniel Kidane, a composer who received funding from the RVW Trust, said. ‘Over the years RVW funding has been there for me, and countless other composers - a steadfast supporter for the creation of new music. This dedication to investing and supporting projects has been invaluable for so many creatives and has allowed me personally to explore and progress my own craft.’

The Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust was created to promote Vaughan Williams’ work under the terms of Ursula’s will after her death in 2007. The new VWF will continue to promote access to Vaughan Williams’ work by offering online access to images, correspondence transcripts and a catalogue of the composer’s work and a selection of photographs as well as supporting projects aiming to perform and promote Vaughan Williams’ work.