The Road Safety Trust is the largest independent grant provider for road safety initiatives in the UK. Since its establishment in 2014, the Trust has awarded over £5 million to grantees - funding a mix of practical measures, research, dissemination and education.

The Trust’s primary purpose is to make the UK roads safer with an ambitious vision, which is shared with its trading subsidiary (UKROEd Ltd), for zero deaths and serious injuries.

With an open round of charitable grant funding available for organisations to apply for in 2023, this presentation will provide an overview of the Trust’s impact to date and how grant funding opportunities for road safety initiatives can be accessed by organisations and partnerships throughout the UK.

Sonya Hurt, CEO, Road Safety Trust

Sonya Hurt joined the Trust as Chief Executive in July 2022. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in road safety, having worked across all disciplines in a career that has spanned almost 30 years. During this time Sonya has actively influenced road safety regionally, nationally, and internationally, becoming part of the national arena in 2015.

Sonya has extensive experience of leading multi-disciplinary teams and understands the importance of combining expertise, the benefits of partnership working, and the significance of an evidence-led approach. She also understands the practicalities of road safety having initially started her career in traffic engineering.

Sonya has achieved national road safety award successes with Nottinghamshire and has led road safety strategy and the road safety partnership in Derbyshire.

Louise Palomino, Grants & Impact Director, Road Safety Trust

Louise Palomino joined the Road Safety Trust in 2015 and manages the Trust's grants programmes and is also responsible for monitoring and reporting of impact. She has a background in grant-making in education, health and the arts, including roles with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the National Lottery Community Fund.

Previously, Louise worked for the Charity Commission, managing advice and regulation casework, and for Children’s Services and Youth Offending as a Data and Performance Analyst.