The Foulkes Foundation

What The Foulkes Foundation does

The Foulkes Foundation is a UK-registered charitable foundation (Charity No: 265166) established in 1972 by Dr Ernest Foulkes using the proceeds from the sale of his scientific-equipment company MSE to Fisons. Operating from London with 11 staff and a Board of Trustees chaired by the founder's daughter Maureen Foulkes-Hajdu, the Foundation's core activity is awarding personal-maintenance Fellowships of up to three years to outstanding post-doctoral scientists who undertake a medical degree, with the explicit aim of producing physician-scientists who can translate bench research into clinical practice. The programme runs two branches: a UK Fellowship administered directly (approximately 6-8 awards per year; over 320 awarded across 50+ years) and an Israeli Fellowship administered since 1982 by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem (nearly 200 Fellows to date). In addition to the Fellowship grants, the Foundation runs two prestige awards: the biennial Foulkes Foundation Academy of Medical Sciences Medal (since 2007, awarded in partnership with the Academy of Medical Sciences) and the triennial Senta Foulkes Research Prize for Israeli Fellows (since 1988).

The Foundation operates on an endowment-based, non-commercial model with no disclosed revenue, no paid customers, and no AI/ML or technology product surface. Funding mechanics are grant-like: Fellowships are sized to applicant circumstances, cover personal maintenance only, and explicitly exclude fees, salaries, or research costs. Go-to-market is community-led: candidate sourcing relies on academic referrals, advisory-panel networks, and partner organisations including multiple Royal Colleges, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Association of Medical Research Charities, and the National Institute for Health Research. Selection is gated by a Pre-Selection Committee of past Fellows and a Board of Advisors in each jurisdiction. Post-award engagement centres on an annual dinner held at central London venues or Cambridge/Oxford colleges, plus a yearly newsletter that doubles as a directory for Fellow-to-Fellow mentoring and networking, creating a lifelong alumni community rather than a transactional customer base.

Name

The Foulkes Foundation

Legal name

The Foulkes Foundation

Website

https://foulkes-foundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Foulkes Foundation is a UK-registered charity, founded 1972, that awards multi-year personal-maintenance Fellowships to post-doctoral scientists undertaking a medical degree, plus two prestige research awards, operating separate UK and Israeli programmes from a London base with 11 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Medical Research Fellowships

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Field-of-Study & Discipline-Specific Funding (EDAIAOAD), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Medical research fellowships
• Postdoctoral scientist grants
• Physician-scientist training
• Medical education funding
• Biomedical research charity

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Fellowship Grants: The Foundation provides financial Fellowships to outstanding post-doctoral scientists to support their medical degree studies. The Fellowships are intended for personal maintenance only, not for fees, salaries, or research grants. The Foundation was endowed by Dr Ernest Foulkes in 1972 upon the sale of his company MSE to Fisons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Foulkes Foundation provides financial Fellowships to outstanding post-doctoral scientists to support their medical degree studies in the UK and Israel. Fellowships are tenable for up to three years and cover personal maintenance only, not fees, salaries, or research grants. The Foundation also administers two prestige awards: the biennial Foulkes Foundation Academy of Medical Sciences Medal (UK) and the triennial Senta Foulkes Research Prize (Israel).

Product overview

The Foulkes Foundation is a charitable Foundation established in 1972 that provides Fellowships to outstanding post-doctoral scientists to study medicine and become research leaders of the future. The Foundation operates two branches: the UK Fellowship programme (administered directly) and the Israeli Fellowship programme (administered by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities). In addition to Fellowship funding, the Foundation offers two prestigious awards: the Foulkes Foundation Academy of Medical Sciences Medal (awarded biennially in the UK since 2007) and the Senta Foulkes Research Prize (awarded every three years in Israel since 1988). Over 320 Fellowships have been awarded in the UK and nearly 200 in Israel over the past 50 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foulkes Foundation Fellowship (UK) Financial Fellowship support for post-doctoral scientists undertaking a medical degree in the United Kingdom. Awards are tenable for up to three years and provide personal maintenance funding; approximately 6-8 fellowships are awarded annually.
• Foulkes Foundation Fellowship (Israel) Financial Fellowship support for post-doctoral scientists in Israel, administered by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem. The programme was extended to Israel in 1982.
• Foulkes Foundation Academy of Medical Sciences Medal A prestigious medal awarded biennially since 2007 to a rising star in UK bioscience research, typically within ten years of achieving their PhD. Administered in conjunction with the Academy of Medical Sciences.
• Senta Foulkes Research Prize Research prize awarded every three years to Fellows of the Israeli branch of the Foulkes Foundation, recognising excellence in research and academic achievements since completing the Fellowship grant. Named in honour of the Founder's wife.

Quantifiable outcome

• 320+ Fellows have become leading authorities in medical science globally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Israel Academy of Sciences and HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982The Israeli branch of the Fellowship is administered by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem. The Fellowship was extended to Israel in 1982 under Dr Foulkes's initiative.
• Academy of Medical SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Academy of Medical Sciences to administer the Foulkes Foundation Academy of Medical Sciences Medal, awarded biennially since 2007 to rising stars in UK bioscience research.
• Royal College of PhysiciansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organisation with linkage to the Foundation's network and mission.
• Royal College of Surgeons of EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organisation with linkage to the Foundation's network.
• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organisation with linkage to the Foundation's network.
• National Institute for Health ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organisation supporting medical research in the UK.
• Wellcome Sanger InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeveral Medal winners are associated with the Wellcome Sanger Institute, indicating ongoing relationship with Foulkes Fellows.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: One of the world's largest charitable foundations funding medical research and physician-scientist training in the UK. Overlaps directly with Foulkes' mission of supporting biomedical research careers, but operates at vastly larger scale with broader funding scope.
• Royal Society: UK's national academy of science offering research fellowships, professorships, and career-stage awards. Overlaps with Foulkes' target population of post-doctoral scientists transitioning to independent research careers.
• Medical Research Council (UKRI): UK's primary public funder of medical research, offering clinical research training fellowships and postdoctoral awards. Comparable target population (post-doctoral scientists transitioning into medicine) but funded through government rather than philanthropy and at much larger scale.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: US-based biomedical research philanthropy supporting physician-scientists and postdoctoral fellows. Shares the Foulkes mission of bridging science and clinical medicine, but operates on a vastly larger endowment with a broader research portfolio.

Direct peers

• Beit Memorial Fellowships: UK charitable fellowship programme supporting postdoctoral research in medical and related sciences. Closest structural analogue to Foulkes with a similar fellowship model, though operating through different disease-area mandates.
• Academy of Medical Sciences: UK learned society that administers the Foulkes Foundation Academy of Medical Sciences Medal and supports biomedical researchers. Directly comparable mission of nurturing physician-scientist careers, with overlapping networks of Fellows and advisors.
• Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities: Israeli learned society that administers the Israeli branch of the Foulkes Foundation Fellowship. Direct operational and thematic peer for medical research career support in Israel, including prizes and academy membership.

Emerging players

• The Rhodes Trust: Endowed UK scholarship trust funding postgraduate study at Oxford, with a selective fellowship model and lifelong alumni network similar in spirit to Foulkes. Differs in mandate (broad postgraduate study vs. medical degree specifically).

Others

• Wellcome Sanger Institute: Leading UK genomics research institute whose deputy director is a Foulkes trustee and several Foulkes Medal winners are affiliated. Ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, but a major beneficiary node in the same physician-scientist pipeline.

Regional players

• Croucher Foundation: Hong Kong-based foundation funding postdoctoral science fellowships and scholarships, with a mission paralleling Foulkes' Israel branch: nurturing scientists in a specific regional ecosystem. Comparable scale and selective fellowship model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-foulkes-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Foulkes Foundation