GRANT HISTORY • 2011 – PRESENT
GRANTS AWARDED
Since 2011, the Halton Foundation has supported non-profit organizations worldwide researching indoor environmental quality and human wellbeing in occupied buildings.
9+
ORGANIZATION FUNDED
15
YEARS ACTIVE
$30k USD
MAX GRANT / YEAR
$350k USD
TOTAL AWARDED
ALL RECIPIENTS • 2011 TO PRESENT
OUR GRANT RECIPIENTS AND THEIR STORIES
The Halton Foundation provides funding to non-profit organizations researching how to improve human wellbeing in indoor environments. Grants have been awarded across several areas, including helping children with asthma, funding for the Himalayan Stove project, and providing grants to universities researching indoor environmental quality.
2025
One-year research grant
United States
INDOOR AIR QUALITY MONITORS
University of Alabama at Birmingham
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been awarded a one-year grant to advance the scientific understanding and practical performance of low-cost indoor air quality monitors. The project will establish standardized testing methods, clear evaluation metrics, and a comprehensive performance database to support more reliable IAQ solutions. A central focus is ensuring that these findings directly benefit underserved communities and schools, empowering them to make informed decisions that improve indoor environmental quality and overall wellbeing.
2024
One-year research grant
Finland
AIRBORNE PATHOGEN REDUCTION
Aalto University
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Aalto University has been awarded a one-year grant to evaluate the effectiveness of personal ionizer technology in reducing airborne pathogens within the breathing zone. The study will clarify where and how this low-cost, energy-efficient technology can be applied to support healthier indoor environments. By examining potential benefits such as reduced respiratory symptoms and improved productivity, the project aims to determine the real-world impact of personal ionizers on occupant wellbeing and establish them as a viable, scalable solution for a wide range of indoor settings.
2024
3-year research grant
Australia
SVOC AND AIR CLEANER DESIGN
University of Queensland
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The University of Queensland has been awarded a 3-year grant for research on developing a portfolio of sorbent materials for new air cleaner designs that can effectively remove semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from indoor air. Despite recent advancements in recognizing and characterizing SVOCs in indoor settings, there remains a significant gap in understanding how to reduce exposure to these chemicals effectively. This research directly addresses that gap.
2021
3-year grant
International
IEQ GUIDELINES DATABASE
International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ)
ABOUT THE PROJECT
ISIAQ was awarded a 3-year grant to develop a functional global database to share and compare indoor environmental quality guidelines across countries and regulatory frameworks worldwide. ISIAQ is an international, independent, multidisciplinary, scientific, non-profit organization whose purpose is to support the creation of healthy, comfortable, and productive indoor environments. Together with collaborators, existing information is being reviewed with an aim to provide recommendations toward more harmonized global IEQ guidelines.
“With the support from the Halton Foundation, ISIAQ aims to develop a functional database to share information about IEQ guidelines worldwide. Together with our collaborators, the existing information will also be reviewed with an overall aim to provide recommendations toward more harmonized guidelines. We cordially thank the Halton Foundation for their support!“
Doreen Albertson
Director, ISIAQ Secretariat
2019
3-year research grant
United States
PHOTOCATALYTIC AIR PURIFICATION
Fordham University
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Fordham University was awarded a 3-year grant bringing together faculty from the Chemistry Department at Fordham University and the Environmental Control Technology Department at NYC College of Technology. The goal is to improve indoor air quality through innovative scientific approaches integrating basic and applied science, specifically exploring how photocatalytic air purifiers impact IAQ and how the physical and optical properties of nanostructured catalysts affect the oxidation of volatile organic compounds. The project also supports five undergraduate research students as co-authors on peer-reviewed publications.
“We are honored to be selected as a recipient of a grant from the Halton Foundation and thank them for their support of research! This support will allow us to bring together an interdisciplinary team of scientists from Fordham University and NYC College of Technology with the overarching goal of understanding and improving indoor air quality. The grant will also support undergraduate STEM majors in our research and help raise awareness of the importance of indoor air quality in the undergraduate science curriculum.“
Christopher Koenigsmann Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Fordham University
2016
3-year research grant
Poland
HOSPITAL PATIENT ROOM IEQ
Warsaw University of Technology
ABOUT THE PROJECT
In 2016, the Halton Foundation awarded a 3-year grant to Warsaw University of Technology for research creating indoor environment guidelines for patient rooms in hospitals in Poland. The project examines air distribution, microclimate variables, and limit values, and explores cost-efficient technological solutions for modernization and improvement of hospital rooms. The grant is paid gradually in stages, provided that the requirements of the previous stage are met. This was the fourth grant awarded by the Foundation.
“We are honoured to have been selected by the Halton Foundation as a recipient of their generous grant. With this support, we have been able to launch and carry out the full spectrum of activities on ventilation and air conditioning systems in hospital patients’ rooms, from research to promotional and educational work. In the long term, the results of the project will contribute to raising awareness of doctors and medical staff about the significance of the ventilation system and, consequently, help to improve the indoor environmental conditions in which the patient’s recovery process is taking place.“
Anna Bogdan
Associate Professor, Warsaw University of Technology
2013
Joint research grant
UK and China
SCHOOL IEQ AND VENTILATION
University of Reading and Chongqing University
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The third grant, valued at $29,500, was awarded at the end of 2013 to the University of Reading for a joint project on School Indoor Environment & Ventilation Control Strategies for Children’s Health & Wellbeing. The purpose of the project is to improve the health and wellbeing of school children by investigating indoor environmental conditions and developing control strategies to mitigate the level of contamination in classrooms in urban areas. It is a joint research project between the University of Reading and Chongqing University in China.
Learn more about the University of Reading and Chongqing University
2012
Program grant
Nepal / trans-Himalayan region
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
Himalayan Stove Project — Paul Basch Memorial Foundation
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Halton Foundation’s second grant was given in 2012 to the Paul Basch Memorial Foundation to help with the Himalayan Stove Project, dedicated to improving the health of people in the trans-Himalayan region. The organization provides free, clean-burning, highly fuel-efficient cookstoves to families who currently cook with traditional stoves or over open fire pits inside their homes, consuming excessive amounts of fuel and polluting indoor air to dangerously unhealthy levels.
“We are honoured to have been selected by the Halton Foundation as a recipient of their generous grant. We appreciate their acknowledgment of the value of our work and intend to make them proud of their confidence in us. We believe in the conservation of nature, improving people’s health, and transforming their lives, one clean cookstove at a time. With the help of wonderful donors like the Halton Foundation we will be able to expand our work in the Trans Himalayan Region.“
George Basch
Himalayan Stove Project, Paul Basch Memorial Foundation
2011
Program grant
United States
ASTHMA AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH
Center for Courageous Kids
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Halton Foundation’s very first grant of $30,000 USD was awarded to the Center for Courageous Kids in Scottsville, Kentucky. The Centre is a medical camping facility that provides cost-free summer and weekend camps for seriously ill and disabled children and their families. The grant enabled the Center to organize a dedicated one-week summer camp for children with asthma, incorporating indoor air quality education as a core element of the camp experience.
“We are humbled and honored to have been selected to receive the Halton Foundation’s first gift. This support and your desire to incorporate asthma education as another fun component of a child’s summer camp experience is going to produce lifelong benefits. We look forward to working with you and the Halton Team to provide a great week of camp during the summer of 2011. Thank you again for the support of our program and the seriously ill children we serve.“
Roger F. Murtie
President, Center for Courageous Kids
Interested in applying? Explore the Halton Foundation grant application process or see who can apply for funding.
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