Education

These funds cover schools and colleges, plus organisations that provide education in and out of school settings.

Funding for Children and young people is covered on a separate page. As with any charitable project, it’s worth considering the funders that will fund a wide variety of projects.

This page is updated annually. Spotted an error? Please let us know.

Cambridgeshire Education Opportunities Fund

Grants of £500 to £3,000 for non-profit organisations and schools operating in Cambridge or Fenland, for projects that raise the attainment, opportunities, and wider outcomes of 3 to 16 year-olds, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The focus for 2021 is recovery and resilience from the COVID pandemic, with projects such as preparation for school leavers, education catch-up, wellbeing and mental health. The next deadline is 1 November 2021.

Cambridgeshire High Sheriff’s Award

Charities and community groups can apply for grants of up to £5,000 for projects that support young people in Cambridgeshire (including Peterborough) who face a range of challenges or disadvantage, including poor mental health, bereavement, disability, long term illness, social isolation, substance misuse. The Fund also supports young people in care, care leavers and others who have limited support or opportunities to develop. It provide opportunities for them to learn new skills, develop their confidence and fulfil their potential. A wide range of non-profit organisations can apply. The next deadline is 1 August 2021.

Garfield Weston Foundation

Education is one of nine themes for this Foundation, which offers grants up to £100,000 to registered charities, schools, universities, faith-based organisations, housing associations, museums and galleries. The Foundation recommends that applicants have around half of their funding identified before applying. Capital, project and core costs are eligible, but the Foundation tends not to support more than 10% of the total costs, and expects half the funding to be secured before applying.

Foyle Foundation – Main Grants Scheme

Grants over £10,000 are available for organisations focused on either Learning or Arts. Recently awarded grants for Learning show a focus on museums and libraries, with a wide range of project types including project costs, salaries and capital projects. The Foundation also welcomes applications that focus on special educational needs, that encourage sustainability (both financial and environmental) and that increase access and widen the diversity of attendees/visitors. The maximum grant has been reduced during the COVID-19 crisis – check with the Foundation on their current policy before applying for grants over £50,000.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation – Arts-based Learning Fund

Grants of up to £400,000 for charities, community organisations, social enterprises and not-for-profit companies active in the arts. One of its three themes is Education & learning through the arts. Applicants must be working in partnership with schools or other formal education settings. Explore and Test grants of up to £60,000 for up to two years are designed to help explore and test new approaches. More and Better grants of up to £400,000 for up to four years is intended to help organisations to deliver more effective arts-based learning. Pre-application access support and a bursary of up to £500 is available to help groups apply.

The Steel Charitable Trust

Grants of £10,00 to £25,000 for registered charities and exempt organisations (such as schools) for projects in a range of categories including education. Capital, project and core costs are all considered. Applicants must have published accounts with an annual turnover over £50,000.

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation

This trust is dedicated to addressing rural and urban deprivation with Small Grants (£2,000 to £10,000 for one year) and Major Grants (£10,000 to £100,000 over up to three years). Urban locations (populations of 10,000 or more) must be ranked within the most deprived 15% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation, while rural locations must be within the most deprived 50%. Check for your location here.

Education crops up frequently in its funding criteria; Small grants for activities such as support schemes for young people struggling in mainstream education, homework clubs and supplementary education classes for vulnerable individuals. Major grants for engaging parents in their child’s early education, and supporting prisoners and their families with parenting education.

Thomas Wall Trust

Grants of up to £5,000 for UK charities with a turnover below £500,000, for projects or core activities that support literacy, numeracy, digital and additional skills for learning that are likely to assist employment prospects. May 2021 update: this fund is temporarily closed to new applications whilst the programme is under review.

BlueSpark Foundation

BlueSpark Foundation supports the education and development of children and young people (aged 5-22) by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting and other projects. It values academic, vocational, artistic and sporting endeavour in equal measure and is particularly keen to support projects which will help enhance the self-confidence, team working skills and future employability of children and young people. There is no upper limit but most grants are between £2,000 and £5,000. Eligible costs include equipment, tuition, training, competitions, seed funding for enterprise projects and drama production costs.

British & Foreign School Society

Grants of £30,000 to £100,000 are available to registered charities, schools and universities, for educational projects that improve the educational outcomes and life chances of Young Carers and Looked After Children. Match funding is welcomed, and schools and universities must be able to demonstrate a network effect beyond one individual school. Deadlines are twice a year in July and January.

YAPP Charitable Trust

Education is one of five themes for this trust, which offers grants up to £3,000 per year for three years to registered charities with a total annual expenditure of less than £40,000. The Trust has a particular interest in people who are educationally disadvantaged, whether adults or children. It will only fund core running costs, and prefers to fund existing projects when other funding is coming to an end.

Gilchrist Educational Trust

Grants – typically between £500 and £4,000 – are available to UK-registered companies and charities (but not schools) for projects that fill academic educational gaps or make more widely available a particular aspect of education or learning. The annual deadline is the end of February, for consideration in April/May.

Hodge Foundation

Education is one of four themes for the Hodge Foundation, which will fund registered charities, schools and universities. There is no upper limit but most grants are under £10,000. It will fund education within formal school settings and also practical approaches to learning which support young people to fulfil their potential and thrive, including those with special needs. The Foundation supports arts projects for education that encourage and inspire audiences across the UK and bring a range of benefits to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Ironmongers’ Company

Grants of up to £10,000 are available to registered charities for UK projects that provide opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people under 25 to fulfil their potential. Project must consist of educational activities that develop learning, motivation and skills. Deadlines are 31 July and 15 December.

Peter Cruddas Foundation

Grants are available to registered charities for projects that benefit disadvantaged and disengaged young people aged 16 to 30 years. Priority is given to work experience projects and pathways for young people into education, training or employment. Deadlines are 1 September and 1 March.

British Science Week – Community Grant Scheme

Grants of £500 to £2,000 for community groups that work directly with audiences who are traditionally under-represented in science activity, so that they can run their own activities during British Science Week (March 2022). Eligible audiences include people from ethnic minorities, with low socio-economic status or a physical or mental condition or impairment, people living in a remote and rural location, and girls and women. Last year’s deadline was 9 November 2020 – keep an eye out for this year’s funding round.

Lawrence Atwell’s Charity – Individuals Programme

Grants of up to £1,500 are available for people aged 16 to 26 from low-income backgrounds, to help them gain vocational, accredited qualifications (up to level 3) that will help them move into employment. Funding can be given for course fees, equipment/materials, travel costs, childcare and living costs. Applicants are encouraged to obtain funds from other sources and to apply to as many charities as possible.

Buttle UK – Chances for Children

Grants of up to £2,000 for vulnerable young people (aged 16-20) so that they can further their education or employment. Applicants must fit various criteria, including experiencing financial hardship and having recently experienced a crisis that has had a significant and enduring impact on their social wellbeing, their emotional wellbeing and their educational engagement.