As Chairman of the Australian Foundation for Science, John Ralph was actively involved in fundraising for Foundation projects, most notably securing two significant sponsorships, worth a total of $390,000, for the Academy's Nova: Science in the news website. He established a group of influential Australians who have agreed to act as supporters of the Academy. He is a Companion in the Order of Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. In 2002 he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Emperor of Japan.