The Racing Foundation awards over £900,000 in first funding round of 2026

The Racing Foundation has awarded £963,094 of charitable funding in its first funding round of 2026, bringing its investment under the Foundation’s 2025 – 2027 strategy to more than £4million. The Foundation aims to develop understanding and action around the key charitable issues facing racing in three key areas: Racing’s People, Equine Welfare, and ESG.

Approved by Trustees at their April Board meeting, the recent grants support projects spanning education and training, equine welfare, environmental sustainability, scientific research and community engagement across the British racing and Thoroughbred breeding industry.
Grant recipients include the National Stud, National Horseracing College, Riding A Dream Academy and the Horserace Betting Levy Board for Equine Science and Research Grant projects.

Projects being funded include:

• The Industry Head of Environmental Sustainability role and the initial implementation phase of “Racing Resilient”: The industry’s environmental sustainability strategy which aims to provide a roadmap to 2030 to safeguard the sport from climate change while reducing its overall environmental footprint.
• The Industry Head of Social Impact role and the initial implementation phase of “Powering Positive Change”: Racing’s social impact strategy that aims to establish a long-term framework to strengthen the positive contributions that Racing makes to society. (These grants were awarded with support from the Racing Post and Godolphin)
• The delivery of a specialised alternative provision through educational programme that has been developed by New Beginnings, a dedicated racehorse retraining and rehoming centre based in York, which includes equine-assisted learning using ex-racehorses. (Funded by the Racing Foundation with support from the Racing Post and Godolphin)
• National Racehorse Week: An annual, week-long event that takes place throughout the UK. It aims to give the general public a behind-the-scenes look at the horseracing industry, including at training yards, stud farms, and aftercare and retraining centres. Racehorses are also taken into local communities to visit schools, children’s hospitals, care homes, and charity groups, giving people who might not have the means to travel to a rural racing stable the opportunity to experience getting up close and personal with a racehorse. The grant will fund the provision of racehorses and educational activities for three of the pop-up ‘Urban Stables’ being delivered in the middle of large cities. (Funded by the Racing Foundation with support from the Racing Post and Godolphin)

Reflecting on the first funding round of 2026, Chief Executive of the Racing Foundation Tansy Challis said:

“Across this round we have been pleased to support a diverse range of projects that reflect both the immediate needs and long-term ambitions of British racing. From investment in education and skills development to environmental sustainability, social impact and equine welfare, these grants demonstrate the breadth of charitable activity taking place across the industry.

“As the Foundation continues to deliver its 2025 – 2027 strategy, we remain committed to working in partnership with organisations to support projects that aim to develop understanding and action around the key charitable issues facing racing and to assist the industry with developing a collaborative and strategic response. We look forward to following the progress and impact of these projects over the coming months.”

Further information about the Racing Foundation’s grant rounds and strategy can be found at www.racingfoundation.co.uk