Rees Jeffreys Road Fund

Overview

Rees Jeffreys Road Fund awards bursaries and grants funded from our investment income, generated by the endowment made by William Rees Jeffreys’ estate.

Rees Jeffreys Road Fund’s objectives are to encourage and promote better and safer roads, through design, engineering and aesthetics, leading to enhanced experience for everyone.

They do this principally by:

• funding projects, research and events; and
• awarding bursaries to individuals pursuing relevant professional qualifications.

In 2023 the Fund received applications for grant funding of £439,911 and made grant awards of £156,460. The Fund also made seven MSc Bursary awards.

Project Grant Funding

Rees Jeffreys Road Fund provides grants for research, education and roadside improvement projects that promote advances in road-related UK transport policy, design, management and practice.

Trustees favour proposals which have national, rather than local, significance and those which involve other funding partners. They welcome proposals and ideas for innovative topics and projects and, from time to time, they will identify areas of potential interest on their News page.

Objectives

The use of funds must be in accordance with the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund’s charitable objects which are:

1. To contribute to the cost of lectures and presentations, and to fund bursaries for the pursuit of relevant post graduate transport qualifications, with the aim of promoting improvement of the design, layout and construction of public highways, and of adjoining land, in terms of safety, functionality and beauty;
2. To promote and support projects that improve the roadside environment and enable greater appreciation of the countryside and open spaces;
3. To encourage and deliver the improvement of existing, and provision of additional, public highways, bridges, tunnels, footpaths, verges, and cycleways…. in terms of safety, functionality, and beauty; and
4. To support projects and initiatives that would demonstrably continue the life work of the founder in promoting the design, functionality, and appreciation of highways.

Is there a maximum or minimum amount of grant funding?

There is no upper or lower limit for grant applications although grants most commonly fall in the range £5,000 - £30,000.

Trustees may consider making an award of around £50,000 to projects that they consider have the potential to make a transformational or significant contribution to the future experience or provision of roads in the UK.

If applicants are considering applying for larger grants, they should discuss this with the Secretary as part of their initial expression of interest. RJRF’s website contains a list of other potential funding sources which applicants may find useful to refer to; RJRF encourages applications with multiple sources of funding.

RJRF typically supports projects that are delivered within 12 to 24 months. Projects delivered over a longer period are sometimes considered.

Please contact the Secretary to discuss your proposal.

What they fund

The focus of RJRF is on the provision, use and enjoyment of roads in the UK (including Northern Ireland).

RJRF supports research, education and roadside improvement projects that promote advances in UK transport policy, design, management and practice, in accordance with the Fund’s Objects. Grant applications may include other forms of transport or mobility where this is relevant to, and integrated with, the use of roads.

To make best use of the limited resources available, the Trustees set out priorities for funding. They favour:

• Proposals which have national rather than local significance or impact.
• Those which involve other funding partners, unless the application is for a very small amount of funding.
• Innovative topics and ideas, which are not already being researched or worked on elsewhere, and which will add to the UK’s knowledge or ability to
  provide safe, sustainable and enjoyable roads.
• Projects that can strongly demonstrate buy-in from appropriate stakeholders or decision makers, or a strong and clear plan for how such buy-in will be
  achieved.
• Projects which can support tangible change or improvements within a 24-month period.

Funding Categories

Grants are generally awarded in three categories: Physical Projects; Educational Projects; Research Projects.

Funding for physical projects

RJRF occasionally supports provision, improvements or works to roadside rest areas or parking facilities, but only where the applicant can clearly demonstrate the wider public benefit the proposal will provide along with reassurance that the project would not result in an unsustainable growth in motor traffic. Wider public benefits might include:

• Offering better access to countryside amenities such as viewing spots associated with an AONB, generally linking to established trails.
• Providing information about local features/points of interest and options for accessing them in environmentally sensitive ways, including any nearby Rees Jeffreys Road Fund Roadside Rests.
• Providing all types of road users with a safe place to stop, generally to appreciate a view of the countryside or coastline.
• Proposals which are integrated with other transport options, such as public transport, walking and cycling and access via rail services.
• Proposals which cater for and/or promote sustainable transport options (e.g. facilities for walkers, cyclists etc).
• Creating an inclusive approach, such as supporting access for disabled people.
• Making best use of a site, beyond the basic provision for stopping vehicles.

RJRF is generally interested in projects which fill gaps in existing provision. Gaps identified by the Trustees include: the provision of roadside facilities for HGV drivers in an area where there are none and parts of the country lacking roadside rests (there are currently no Rees Jeffreys Road Fund Roadside Rest in Northern Ireland).

Applications for physical projects must include:

• A site plan and project brief, and letter of endorsement from the appropriate highways and planning authorities and other relevant landowners.
• Formal agreement from the appropriate planning authority and highways authority to implement the works.
• An assessment of the impact of the proposal on traffic across the wider local area. Ideally the local highways authority should provide a comment about sustainability or impact on traffic levels created by the proposal, and if appropriate, indicate their commitment to complementary measures to address possible traffic issues.
• A realistic long-term plan of how the site will be maintained (kept clear of litter, maintenance of surfaces and equipment, preventing the site becoming overgrown with foliage) with agreed responsibilities. This could be achieved by involving volunteers if the applicant has a sustainable approach for actively involving volunteers in this kind of role over the long term.
• Clear and detailed plans for inclusion of information and signs to enable road users (whether pedestrians, cyclists or drivers) to make best use of all the opportunities available (ideally this will include the provision of a plaque to recognise Rees Jeffreys Road Fund’s contribution).
• Evidence that the application represents good value for money. RJRF will typically commit no more than £30,000 per site (usually less) and generally prefers to be a contributing rather than a main funder.

Applications for academic funding

Universities and other academic institutions may apply for funding for research projects, parts of research projects or PhD funding under the normal grant process. Applications for funding to support study of a PhD should be submitted by the university or place of study, in conjunction with the student, using their standard grant application process as set out in this note.

See Guidance notes for further information.

Student Bursaries for MSc studies

The award of student bursaries to study for a transport related MSc degree is a separate and different process to general grant applications. Each year participating
university departments offering transport related MSc courses are invited to nominate candidates for the coming academic year. Students are not permitted to apply directly to the Fund and should instead contact their course tutor or university of choice for more information. For more information on this go to https://www.reesjeffreys.co.uk/bursaries/

Who can apply

Applications can be submitted by individuals or organisations. Applicants may be expected to demonstrate their status as a bona fide person or organisation, including for example, details of not-for-profit status. The Fund will only make grant payments to individuals or commercial organisations where safeguards are in place to ensure that grant funds are used for their intended purposes.

When considering applications for grant funding from individuals or organisations who are not charities, several points are considered:

• Trustees assure themselves of the ‘mission fit’ or match between the applicant or organisation’s aims and RJRF’s purposes and interests;
• Trustees assess the individual or organisation’s track record for delivering the proposed activities, and that the applicant is genuine, reliable and competent to carry out the activity being funded;
• Trustees consider the governance/constitutional form/arrangements of the applicant and the applicant’s reputation, and consider the risks that the applicant will not use the funds appropriately;
• Trustees consider the scope of the applicants’ operations and any conflicts with RJRF’s purposes, activities, funding, or other interests;

Particular attention is paid to the risk that the funding may give rise to private or commercial benefit. Trustees will seek to assess that any private or commercial benefit is incidental to the public benefit that is likely to be achieved.