Through a strong belief in "Healthy planet, healthy people" the Williamson Trust promotes the health of individuals, through supporting healthy environments, healthy communities and healthy foods.
LATEST NEWS
RSE announces £100K research funding boost
The Royal Society of Edinburgh, in partnership with the Williamson Trust, has announced an expansion of the Healthy Planet, Healthy People (HPHP) initiative, unveiling a new £100,000 funding incentive from the Williamson Trust to support community-led research across Scotland. The newly launched Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Change Award will provide two standout projects with major funding to grow and scale their work. One project will receive up to £75,000, and a second will be awarded up to £25,000.
Trusted Voices: Evidence-based knowledge for Wales’ Grants 2025 – 2026
The Williamson Trust in partnership with the Learned Society of Wales (LSW) wants to fund researchers and knowledge-producers to create and communicate innovative, engaging, and trustworthy content to reach audiences in Wales (and beyond).
Round 3: ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’: Catalyst Award
‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’: Catalyst Awards are designed to support community*-led research**. The awards are available to cover eligible costs arising from a defined research project. Funding will be provided to support new and existing research projects that promote the health of individuals through fostering healthy environments and communities, and enabling access to healthy foods.
OUR HEALTHY PLANET, HEALTHY PEOPLE THEMES
The Trust recognises that people’s health is irrevocably linked to healthy environments and communities, and access to healthy foods. As such, the Williamson Trust takes a One Health approach to its donation making strategy, integrating health, the environment and food under the Healthy Planet Healthy People vision. Through ethical partnering with individuals, organisations and communities we aim to bring this vision to life, delivering real change for individuals, by acting both locally and nationally. Through its vision the Trust hopes to enhance the quality and longevity of human life, by helping to mitigate the ongoing degradation of nature, the environment and our food system.
The Williamson Trust is a charitable trust, established in 1987 by William Salt (1925 – 2020) after the death of his mother. The Trust promotes education, health and wellbeing through making donations to appropriate organisations and individuals. In 2020 the Trustees refreshed the vision for the Trust. The new Healthy Planet Healthy People vision encapsulates William Salt’s aim for the Trust to enable quality of life and longevity, while reframing it in the present-day context of the ongoing global degradation of nature, the environment and our food system.
The Trust is endowed with funds from various sources including major contributions from Independent Property Holding (now dissolved), and the estate of the late William Salt. The Trust makes charitable donations using income from the endowment.
William Salt in the Navy during the 2nd World War, and later as a successful entrepreneur, based in Manchester and London.
Legacy funded projects (1987 – 2020)
- Manchester University (Medical Genomics) – £130,010
- Salford Royal (Back Pain Centre) – £156,000
- St Andrews Health Centre (heart disease) – £3,484
- St Bartholomew’s Hospital (Therapeutic Stem Cells) – £449,687
- Christie Hospital (Prostate Cancer) – £332,288
The Williamson Trust works across the UK, with a growing focus in Scotland and Wales. To maximise our impact the Trust works with individuals, communities, and both local and national organisations.
The Williamson Trust partners with the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) (https://rse.org.uk/). The RSE is Scotland’s National Academy established in 1783 for the advancement of learning and useful knowledge, framed today as Knowledge Made Useful.
The Williamson Trust partners with the Learned Society of Wales (https://www.learnedsociety.wales/). Learned Society of Wales was set up in 2010 to recognise and represents excellence and promote scholarship and research, wherever it is found in Wales while appreciating the national and global dimension.