What Grants, Awards and Projects Does the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia Offer?

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia is a UK grant-making trust focused solely on aphasia, founded in 1992 by Robin Tavistock (the late 14th Duke of Bedford) after his own experience of the condition. Its support takes several forms: Small Grants allocated monthly to help people at their point of need, the Robin Tavistock Award and Distinguished Scholar recognition, Student Prizes, funded Projects, the Aphasia Software Finder, and involvement in the Aphasia Alliance. The trust also lists PPA and Aphasia & Links among its areas. Below is what each of these is for and who tends to use it.

Small Grants

The trust introduced Small Grants in 2005. According to the trust, these are allocated monthly and are intended to "provide help to people at their point of need." That framing matters: this is not a large research fund but a responsive stream aimed at practical, immediate needs.

If you are considering applying, the useful questions are:

• What counts as "point of need"? The trust describes it as help at the moment of need rather than long-term programme funding.
• When to apply? Because allocation is monthly, timing is less about a single annual deadline and more about submitting when the need arises.
• Who is it for? People affected by aphasia, their families and carers are the stated beneficiaries of the trust's wider mission.

The trust's site does not, in the material available here, spell out grant amounts or a detailed eligibility checklist, so treat the monthly allocation and the "point of need" purpose as the confirmed points and check the Small Grants page for current criteria before applying.

Robin Tavistock Award and Distinguished Scholar

Two named recognitions sit alongside the grants:

• Robin Tavistock Award — named after the trust's founder, listed as one of the trust's main activities.
• Distinguished Scholar — a separate recognition, also listed among the trust's programmes.

Both appear as distinct items in the trust's navigation, which suggests they serve different purposes (one likely honouring contribution to the aphasia field, the other recognising scholarly work). The available page evidence does not describe selection criteria or nomination routes, so if you are asking on behalf of a candidate, go directly to those two pages rather than assuming the grant process applies.

Student Prizes and Projects

• Student Prizes — aimed at students, and consistent with the trust's stated goal of raising the profile of aphasia among "students of speech and language therapy and the medical profession."
• Projects — the trust says it funds "pioneering research and projects that will improve services and therapies." This is the research-and-service-improvement side of its work, distinct from the individual-level Small Grants.

The distinction is worth holding onto: Projects fund work that improves services and therapies; Small Grants help people at the point of need. If your proposal is a service innovation or research study, Projects is the relevant track; if it is an individual or family need, Small Grants is.

Aphasia Software Finder

Launched in 2011, the Aphasia Software Finder (ASF) brings together "all known English speaking aphasia therapy apps/software, as well as other resources, for people with aphasia and speech and language professionals." The trust states it has been visited by 132 countries.

This is a resource rather than a grant, and it is the most directly usable item on the list for someone who wants something today:

• If you have aphasia or support someone who does: use the ASF to find therapy apps and software in English.
• If you are a speech and language professional: use it as a consolidated catalogue rather than searching app stores individually.
• Caveat: the trust describes it as covering English-speaking resources, so it is not a route to non-English tools.

Aphasia Alliance, PPA and Aphasia & Links

The trust describes itself as "acting as a catalyst in pulling together charities working in the same area" — the Aphasia Alliance is the expression of that. PPA and Aphasia & Links are also listed among its areas.

For a reader, the practical value here is navigational: if the trust itself is not the right funder for your situation, these linked organisations and alliances are where to look next.

How to Choose the Right Route

What to Check Before You Act

The trust's own framing is that it funds "pioneering research and projects that will improve services and therapies" and helps "those with aphasia, their families and carers." Everything above follows from that mission.

Two practical cautions:

1. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility are not specified in the material available here. The one timing fact confirmed is that Small Grants are allocated monthly. Verify current criteria on the trust's own pages before submitting anything.
2. The trust notes that "resources are few today." Its own words suggest demand exceeds what it can fund, so a clear, specific case tied to its stated aims is more likely to fit than a broad request.

The trust also accepts donations and has a contact page — useful if you want to confirm which route fits before applying.