KMFoundation
Current grants
Introduction
The KM Foundation moves with purpose. Since launching, we have committed to projects already reaching across the UK and India. Every project below is led by a credible UK organisation — bringing British clinical expertise, educational excellence and strong governance to wherever the need is greatest.
Every one has been chosen because it creates structural change, not temporary relief.
Orbis - Cataract Surgery, Tamil Nadu, India
HEALTHCARE ACCESS · 3-YEAR PROGRAMME · IN PROGRESS
In partnership with Orbis International and Aravind Eye Hospital — one of the world’s leading eye care institutions — we are funding a three-year programme to develop a replicable, scalable model of tech-enabled cataract care across eight underserved districts of Tamil Nadu: Cuddalore, Vilupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Nagapattinam, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Mayiladuthurai and Thiruvarur.
What makes this programme distinctive is its use of portable diagnostic technology and a bespoke AI-enabled digital data management system — supporting real-time patient registration, screening, referral and post-operative follow-up across the full care pathway. The goal is not simply to treat patients, but to establish a model that can be replicated across India.
Over three years, the programme targets 100,000 screenings across 330 outreach camps, 34,560 cataract surgeries and 25,000 pairs of eyeglasses. The programme is on track: systems, partnerships and operational frameworks were all established on schedule in 2025, with active outreach camps beginning February 2026. A project visit to Tamil Nadu is planned for October 2026.
For many patients, restored sight means restored independence — the ability to work, to care for their families, and to contribute to their local economy. Independent peer-reviewed research confirms that successful cataract surgery in Tamil Nadu significantly increases household income and economic participation. The impact is not just medical. It is generational.
Thanks to the support from the KM Foundation, this project will make a tangible difference in eight districts of Tamil Nadu — helping adults regain the ability to work and contribute to their families and local economies. This initiative has the potential to be a real catalyst for change.
Mandy Pope, Head of Major Gifts, OrbisPunjab Laryngology Service - Amritsar, India
MEDICAL TRAINING & CAPACITY BUILDING · NATIONAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
The problem
Before this project, Punjab — a state of 31 million people — had no dedicated airway surgery service. Patients with severe airway damage caused by accidents, prolonged ventilation in intensive care, or infectious disease had nowhere to turn. Many were dependent on tracheostomy tubes, unable to speak, eat or breathe without assistance. Adult patients frequently lost the ability to work; children struggled to remain in school; entire families faced emotional and financial strain.
The KM Foundation’s intervention
In partnership with Sri Guru Ram Das University of Health Sciences in Amritsar and its associated charitable hospital trust, the KM Foundation funded a £150,000 grant to procure a state-of-the-art surgical laser and essential surgical instruments — the first of their kind in the state. In January 2026, Kumar Muthalagappan formally inaugurated the laser in Amritsar, marking Punjab’s first major step towards a dedicated Laryngology (Airway) Service.
The service is led by Professor Guri Sandhu, a world-leading ENT surgeon from Imperial College London, whose multidisciplinary team will deliver regular teaching missions to Amritsar. Professor Justin Roe, Consultant Speech and Language Therapist from Charing Cross Hospital and Imperial College London, will provide hands-on surgical and practical skills training during major clinical visits. Sri Guru Ram Das University is now constructing a dedicated operating theatre for airway, voice and swallowing surgery.
The ambition: a national model
The Punjab Airway Service is designed to become a national centre of excellence — not just serving Punjab, but offering a model for replication across other Indian states. Within five years, the goal is for the Amritsar team to operate a fully independent, high-quality service. Crucially, they will then be equipped to train doctors from across India, enabling similar services to be established nationwide and dramatically expanding access to airway care for millions of people who currently have none.
This is precisely the kind of investment the KM Foundation seeks: a single intervention that builds permanent capacity, trains future trainers, and creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond the original grant.
This initiative will bring essential medical skills to a region where no comparable service exists. With structured training and long-term collaboration, the knowledge gained here will be shared across India, enabling sustainable, life-changing care.
Professor Guri Sandhu, The London Clinic & Imperial College LondonThe KM Foundation’s support for this airway service reflects its commitment to bringing world-class care, training and technology to regions where they can have the greatest human impact.
Punjab News Express, January 2026London Music Fund - Senior Scholars Programme
MUSIC EDUCATION · 2024–25 REPORT · ON TRACK
The London Music Fund — an independent charity with the Mayor of London as Patron — is one of the UK’s most respected music education organisations. Thanks to the KM Foundation’s support, the Senior Scholarship programme doubled in size in 2024–25, awarding 20 Senior Scholarships to exceptionally talented young musicians across London. The programme is now expanding to Birmingham for the first time, with five additional scholars at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2025–26.
The scholars
The 2024–25 cohort comprised musicians aged 15–18, studying violin, cello, saxophone, oboe, flute, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion and piano. Nominated by Music Services and Junior Conservatoires from Barnet to Croydon and Ealing to Barking, they include students from the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, the Royal College of Music Junior Department, Junior Guildhall and the Centre for Young Musicians. Each receives bursary support covering tuition, instruments, specialist equipment and travel.
What the programme delivers
Beyond bursaries, the 2024–25 programme offered a remarkable breadth of professional opportunities. Scholars attended:
- ABRSM Workshop Leaders session and ABRSM Skills Development Day
- St Paul’s Cathedral conducting workshop
- Royal College of Music Performance Simulator workshop with performance scientist George Waddell
- The Benedetti Foundation Youth Ambassador Careers Day
- Bauer Media radio broadcasting session
- University of Westminster music technology workshop
- BBC Concert Orchestra Proms rehearsal visit
- Japan Pavilion at the London Design Biennale 2025 — four scholars gave a live performance at Somerset House alongside Japanese violinist/composer Midori Komachi
- Six scholars featured in ABRSM’s new woodwind syllabus video campaigns, released across all ABRSM platforms
Outcomes
This year’s graduating Senior Scholars have gone on to study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Royal College of Music. A new LMF Youth Forum was established, giving scholars a formal voice in shaping the programme — an initiative that will become an integral part of the Senior Scholarship from 2025–26 onwards. The London Music Fund celebrates its 15th Anniversary in 2026, with the Senior Scholars forming a central part of those celebrations.
With invaluable support from the KM Foundation we look forward to building on our expansion to Birmingham, and through embedded youth voice continuing to strengthen our offer to exceptional young musicians to enable them to reach their creative potential.
Professor Guri Sandhu, The London Clinic & Imperial College LondonThe KM Foundation’s support for this airway service reflects its commitment to bringing world-class care, training and technology to regions where they can have the greatest human impact.
Punjab News Express, January 2026We are not simply funding lessons — we are investing in the next generation of leading musicians.
Kumar Muthalagappan OBE, FounderChalke Schools History Hub - Free History Education for Schools
EDUCATION & CULTURE · REPORTING PERIOD 2024–25 · ON TRACK
The KM Foundation made a £100,000 donation to fund the Chalke Schools History Hub — a ground-breaking, freely accessible digital history platform designed to bring world-class history education directly into classrooms across the UK and internationally. Led by the Chalke History Trust and featuring content from some of the UK’s foremost historians, the Hub is aligned to Key Stages 2–5 and the International Baccalaureate.
What your donation has built
The KM Foundation’s £100,000 has been allocated as follows: £55,000 to build the History Hub platform; £10,000 for hosting and maintenance; £10,000 for a specialist part-time History Hub Curator; £20,000 for outreach to UK and Tamil Nadu schools; and £5,000 in transport bursaries for SEND and state schools to attend the Schools Festival.
Impact delivered — exceeding targets
The December 2025 funding report confirms the project is on track or ahead of target across every measure:
- 36 curriculum-aligned films produced and uploaded — against an original target of 15. Historians filmed include Bettany Hughes, William Dalrymple, Kate Mosse and Estelle Paranque.
- 16 high-quality audio talks uploaded from previous festivals, with teacher notes produced for each.
- 97 schools registered on the Hub, plus 10 home-education groups — and 118 total sign-ups (96 teachers, 22 pupils).
- 2,500 pupils from 125 schools attended the 2025 Chalke Schools Festival in person — over half from state schools.
- 241 SEND pupils attended the 2025 festival, with a dedicated SEND day.
- 387 pupils and 30 staff supported by transport bursaries, removing the financial barrier to attending.
- Outreach campaigns delivered in both the UK and Tamil Nadu, India — directly aligned to the KM Foundation’s dual geographic focus.
The platform
The Hub uses a Netflix-style interface providing teachers, students and parents with free access to curriculum-linked films, audio talks, teacher notes, and lesson plans — all year round, regardless of geography or school budget. It is mobile-responsive and integrates a substantial back catalogue of recorded festival content.
The historians
Content has been filmed with world-leading historians including Bettany Hughes, William Dalrymple, Kate Mosse and Estelle Paranque — alongside the festival’s regular contributors including James Holland, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, the team behind the widely acclaimed podcast ‘The Rest Is History’.
The KM Foundation’s investment has enabled Chalke to create the platform, infrastructure, content standards, and partnerships necessary to scale this work nationally and internationally — ensuring that high-quality history education is accessible regardless of geography or school resources.
Chalke History Trust Funding Report, December 2025By blending curriculum-aligned content with engaging storytelling, we aim to spark curiosity and inspire future generations.
Muthalagappan OBE, FounderWhat comes next
With the platform established and strong early engagement from schools, the Hub is entering a growth phase. Over 2026–28, Chalke plans to commission a further 15–20 films annually, deepen teacher engagement, grow reach among SEND and inner-city schools, and expand international engagement — building on early traction in India. The KM Foundation’s funding is directly enabling this next phase.
Partner with us
We are always looking for partners who share our values and ambition. If you have a project with measurable impact potential that aligns with our focus areas, we would like to hear from you. We are particularly interested in initiatives that are scalable, sustainable, and led by organisations with strong governance.
The KM Foundation is recognised by HMRC for Gift Aid. All donations are maximised.
