posted by Rhonda McFarlane, Funding Officer, Chief Executive’s Department
BBC Children in Need Main Programme (UK)
The next closing date for applications to the BBC Children in Need Main Grants programme is the 13th January 2017. Grants of over £10,000 per project are available to not for profit organisations that work with young people who are experiencing disadvantage through: illness, distress, abuse or neglect; any kind of disability; behavioural or psychological difficulties; and / or living in poverty or situations of deprivation. Schools can also apply for funding but the project must be additional to their statutory duties.
Examples of projects that recently received funding include:
- St Joseph’s School and Community Steering Group, which received a grant of £61,480 to provide an after school and holiday clubs to engage disadvantaged young people living in Workington in physical and healthy living activity; and
- Chillax in Blaenau Gwent, which received a grant of £10,000, to provide a breakfast and after-school club for young people in a deprived area.
- Cumbria Law Centre which received a grant of £88,263 to provide a full time worker for a young people’s drop in centre, offering specialist social welfare advice to young people and vulnerable parents.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3XW7FvN20PD3xr2c1T62Xly/main-grants
Funding Microbiology Teaching in Schools (UK)
The next closing date for applications to the Society for General Microbiology’s Microbiology in Schools Fund is the 15th March 2017. Through the fund, grants of up to £1,000 are available to schools or individuals that are members of the Society to support microbiology teaching initiatives and events.
Grants can be used to support a range of microbiology-related projects. These might include, but are not limited to organising a visit to or from a working microbiologist (no more than £200 in expenses may be claimed per visiting microbiologist); running a school- or college-based science week activity (e.g. hands-on or programme of talks); and supporting microbiology activities in an out-of-school science club.
Applicants can submit more than one application during the year, but no more than a total of £1,000 will be awarded to a single individual / school during a single calendar year.
Connecting Classrooms Fund Opens for Applications (UK)
The British Council’s Connecting Classrooms fund has opened up for applications and schools have until 21st November 2016 to apply. Grants of £3,000 are available to enable teachers who have completed the British Council’s ‘Teaching Core Skills’ training programme to visit a partner schools overseas. Each visit will involve participating in an event, arranged in country by the British Council.
The events will bring together schools from the UK, their partners and other local schools to share experiences and good practice of implementing core skills within the curriculum. Schools participating in the connecting classrooms programme will have to work with a schools based in one of the following countries: Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Yemen, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. To be eligible to apply, the UK will have identified a partner school in one of these countries.
Funding to Prevent Vulnerable Young People Being Drawn into Terrorism (UK)
The Home Office’s Office for Security and Counter Terrorism is investing up to £1.5 million in innovative projects to prevent vulnerable people being drawn into terrorism. Applications are welcome from the following sectors: civil society, community and voluntary groups; education; out-of-school settings that support children; health; businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises; registered charities. Projects must focus on one or more of the following objectives: increase the understanding of and reduce the risk of radicalisation within a particular sector (i.e. health sector); increase the understanding of and reduce the risk of radicalisation within a particular demographic (i.e. young people); work with vulnerable individuals or groups through outreach projects; helping project participants to develop the judgement skills to challenge others’ views confidently; addressing terrorist use of the internet. Projects are expected to have total costs ranging from £10,000 to £100,000 and must involve an organisation that leads the project. The Home Office will provide funding for evaluation separate to this.
The deadline for registration with Innovate UK is noon on the 5th October 2016; the deadline for applications is noon on the 12th October 2016.
250,000 Free Trees Available for the Coming Bare Root Season (UK)
The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) in partnership with OVO Energy are providing 250,000 trees free of charge for this year’s bare root planting season. All the trees are absolutely free, native UK broad leaf and will be supplied with protective stakes and spiral guards in 4 different pack variants – each with 50 trees per pack. The I Dig Trees programme will make an incredible difference to local communities and the environment and TCV are keen to hear from schools, community groups, charities and other NGO’s. There was a high level of demand last year, so this is an early opportunity for groups to register their interest now and ensure they are successful in securing free trees.
Applications will be accepted until all the trees are allocated. To register or find out more information please click on the link below.
http://www.tcv.org.uk/community/i-dig-trees
Aviva 2016 Community Fund (UK)
Aviva’s 2016 Community Fund re-opened for applications on the 13th September 2016. Schools and community organisations are able to apply for funding of up to £25,000 to support their projects. Projects must fall within one of the following six categories: Health, disability and well-being; Supporting the younger generation; Supporting the older generation; Sport in the community; Environment; and Community support. Applicants will need support from the community for their application in the form of votes and the most voted for applications will go through to the final to be judged. Voting will start on the 21st October 2016 and applicants will need to have submitted their project by the 11th October 2016. The fund is open to anyone over the age of 18 living in the UK. Projects supported last year include Ludworth Primary School who received a grant of £1,000 to support their after school gardening club; and Oakleigh School is a Primary Special School which received a grant to update their sensory equipment.
http://www.aviva.co.uk/good-thinking/community-fund/
Funding for Schools to Purchase Musical Equipment (UK)
Schools in the UK, that wish to purchase musical instruments and equipment can apply for funding of up to £2,000 through the EMI Music Sound Foundation’s Instrument and/or Equipment Awards. To date the Foundations has made awards to over two thousand schools, individual students and teachers improve their access to music through the purchase or upgrade of musical instruments and equipment. The funding has to be made for music education that is beyond statutory national curriculum music teaching. The Foundation cannot fund retrospectively and schools are not eligible for financial assistance under this scheme if they have already purchased their instruments or if they do so before their application has been approved.
The closing date for applications is the 7th February 2017.
http://www.emimusicsoundfoundation.com/index.php/site/awards/
Grants for Teachers (UK)
The Goldsmiths’ Grant for Teachers is currently open for applications. The grant was introduced in 2008 to provide teachers and head teachers with an opportunity to take time out from the classroom in order to undertake an original project of their choice, in the UK or abroad, aimed at enhancing their personal and professional development. The grant, of up to £3,000, covers the cost of travel, accommodation, materials, etc. In addition the Company will pay a maximum of £2,000 supply cover to your school. Projects must have a long-term aim of disseminating results/research back to the school and/or wider audience.
Examples of projects that would be looked on favourably include:
- Comparisons of best practice in teaching and school administration at home or abroad; and
- Personal development projects – eg creative writing, arts, music, languages and coaching.
The closing date for applications is the 1st December 2016.
https://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/charity/education/grants-teachers/
Funding to Enrich and Enhance Maths and STEM Teaching in Schools (UK)
The Royal Institution has announced that its Maths E&E (Enrichment and Enhancement) Grant Scheme has re-opened for applications. Grants of up to £500 are available to UK-registered state schools to host a STEM E&E maths activity selected from the STEM Directories offered by the Royal Institution. Activities listed on the Directories are described as ‘enrichment and enhancement’ because they are events or experiences that enrich or enhance (go beyond) the school curriculum and cannot easily be delivered with standard school resources.
The grants can be used towards any activity listed on the STEM Directories to cover fees and expenses of the activity provider as well as travel expenses incurred by the school. Any other expenses incurred by the school are not covered. In order to apply for a grant, applicants need to be from a state-funded school, academy or sixth-form college in the UK and be a member of the school staff who is involved in teaching maths in that school. The grant can be used to cover fees and expenses of the activity provider as well as travel expenses incurred by the school. Any other expenses incurred by the school are not covered.
Examples of activities include: Dr Maths that offers a range of workshops tailored to any age group from 5 to 18 looking at the “Hidden Secrets from the World of Dr Maths”; and ‘Be Experimental’ who can visit your school and perform 1 hour interactive science shows.
The closing date for applications is the 30th October 2016.
http://www.stemdirectories.org.uk/grant-scheme/
Public Engagement Grant Programme (UK)
The Institute of Physics has announced that its public engagement grant scheme is now open for applications. Through the grant scheme grants of up to £2,000 are available for running physics-based events and activities in the UK and Ireland that raise public awareness of, and engagement with contemporary physics; especially those not previously interested in physics. The grant scheme is open to all and provides funding for individuals and organisations to organise public engagement with physics activities. This includes, but is not limited to members of the Institute of Physics; Museums; Schools; Community groups; Arts groups; and Libraries; etc.
An example of a project previously funded is Manor Field School for ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger… But How Do We Know?’. Where families in Burgess Hill had the opportunity to take part in an evening of hands on activities exploring the accuracy of measurement in sporting events, with particular focus on the Olympics. Another example is PP4SS at the Orkney Science Festival that took the Particle Physics For Scottish Schools (PP4SS) exhibition to Kirkwall Grammar School.
Applications must be received by 12 noon on Monday 17th October 2016 and successful applicants will be notified by the end of Tuesday 15th November. Projects funded in this round will need to be completed by 31st July 2017.
