Grants Committee meeting dates:

The next meeting of the Grants Committee will be on 21st May 2025.

Please note that the Foundation operates an application window during which we will accept applications ahead of our meetings. For the upcoming meeting the window runs from:

10am Monday 17th March 2025 to 5pm Monday 28th April 2025

We are not able to consider applications sent at any other times.

The Grants Committee meets twice a year, usually late spring and late autumn.

Please see our HOW TO APPLY page for further details. 

The Noël Coward Foundation was set up as a charitable trust in 2000 by Graham Payn and Dany Dasto. Its aim is to award grants to educational and professional development projects across the performing arts and to continue the keen interest Coward himself took in charitable work during his lifetime. The Foundation is proud to support a diverse range of outstanding organisations working in theatre, music, playwriting, technical training, academic research and many other areas. 

While the Grants Committee will consider a range of requests for funding, priority is given to applications that meet the following criteria:

• a strong educational element aimed at the 16+ age group

• emphasis on supporting people entering or in the early stages of a career in the Arts

• projects that extend access and support for those groups who have not traditionally engaged with the performing arts either as audience, performer or other creative, technical or administrative team member

• projects that explore Noël Coward’s work in educational settings or theatres who are producing his work and plan to increase audience engagement by offering outreach events.

Please note that the Foundation does not award funding to cover production costs in any form, and will not award money to individuals except through organisations and companies who might themselves wish to make awards to individuals. Therefore, the Foundation is unable to offer grants to individual applicants seeking funding for university or drama school fees. 

We strongly encourage interested organisations to get in touch prior to applying so that we can advise them of the suitability of their request, particularly those working exclusively in music, opera and dance. It also helps to ensure that all the information required by the Grants Committee is provided in your application. 

NOËL COWARD FOUNDATION

How to Apply
Supported Projects
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Past awards

PATRONS

Michael Attenborough, CBE
André Bishop 
Patricia Hodge, OBE                          
Maria Aitken
Sir Cameron Mackintosh
Indira Varma
Dame Patricia Routledge
Sir Matthew Bourne

NCF EXECUTIVE

Alan Brodie (Chair)
Peter Kyle
Robert Lee

GRANTS COMMITTEE

Alan Brodie (Chair)                 
Maria Aitken                                        
John Knowles
Peter Kyle   
Robert Lee 
Alan Pally (USA)
Tug Rice (USA)
Dale Rooks
Tara Rubin (USA)
Rosy Runciman                     
Caroline Underwood

Administrator: Victoria Williams

Press: Anthony McNeill

Charities Number: 1178029

Supported Projects