posted by Rhonda McFarlane, Funding Officer, Chief Executive’s Department
New Funding Opportunities
Funding for Work Experience and Enterprise Projects with German Schools (UK)
UK Schools that have partnerships with a German School can apply for funding of up to £5,000 to undertake work experience and / or enterprise related projects as part of their partnership. Suitable themes for joint project work could include topics such as international business; cross-cultural skills; education and culture; and entrepreneurship, etc. The project or work experience activities must take place within the context of a UK-German school partnership where at least 8 pupils from both schools are participating in mutual visits. Grants provided can support costs such as travel and accommodation for reciprocal partner visits, project resources and joint activities and will be a contribution to the overall costs.
Previous partnerships supported include St. Columb’s College Derry, Northern Ireland, and IGS Langenhagen, Hannover for their “Fit for a global world” project. This project involved 24 UK and German students and aimed to raise awareness of the importance of languages for the global economy as well as allow students to gain experience in the world of work in a foreign country.
Applicants must contribute at least 25% of the overall eligible activity costs through participants’ contributions and other sources of funding. The closing date for applications is the 31st January 2017.
http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/WORLDOFWORK
Partnership in Learning Fund (UK)
UK-German Connection an organisation dedicated to increasing contacts and understanding between young people in the UK and Germany has announced that its Partnerships in Learning funding programme is open for applications. The programme supports UK-German school partnerships to deliver educational activities in both countries, including mutual visits.
Schools that provide a range of relevant and interesting activities around one focus or a range of related themes, can receive funding allowing pupils to experience intercultural learning first-hand. The maximum grant available is £5,000, which is to be shared between the participating schools to support costs such as travel and accommodation for reciprocal partner visits, project resources and joint activities. Applicants must contribute at least 25% of the overall eligible activity costs through participants’ contributions and other sources of funding. For example, Wishaw/Shotts Youth Exchange Group in North Lanarkshire and Kreisjugendring Wunsiedel worked on an exchange to promote European citizenship and investigate what life was like living on a border.
The next deadline for applications is the 31st January 2017.
http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/partnershipsinlearning
Bursaries for Post-16 Students to Work with Scientists (UK)
The Nuffield Foundation has announced that the Nuffield Research Placements (previously Nuffield Science Bursaries) has re-opened for applications. Nuffield Research Placements offer up to 1000 bursaries a year, for students to work alongside practicing scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians. Students in the first year of a post-16 science, technology, engineering and math’s (STEM) course are eligible to apply for a bursary to support them during their project.
The Foundation are particularly interested in encouraging students who don’t have a family history of going to university or who attend schools in less well-off areas. Placements are available across the UK, in universities, industry, voluntary organisations or research institutions. Students doing vocational courses as well as academic ones are also welcome to apply. Students from all schools and colleges in the UK are eligible to apply. When starting an application the student is asked to specify which region their school is based in. It is important for students to check which region they come under as each has a different application deadline.
For example, William created computer simulations using Master Differential Equations over the summer at Plymouth University; Simon carried out a research placement at Transport for London; Sarah worked on an ecological data science project at Coventry University.
http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/nuffield-research-placements
Support for Environmental Outreach Education (UK)
Schools and colleges can receive up to 80% towards the costs of providing environmental outreach education for groups of disadvantaged young people through the Field Studies Council’s Kids Fund.
The Field Studies Council is an independent educational charity committed to raising awareness about the natural world and works through a network of residential and day Centres in the UK to provide outreach education and training. It helps disadvantaged young people to attend a course who may otherwise be excluded due to some form of disadvantage – health, mobility, deprivation or financial. One free staff/adult place is provided for every 12 young people; additional adults pay 20% +VAT. This includes all equipment, tuition and waterproof hire costs. Food and accommodation are included for residential courses. For example, a project that gives over 100 young people with Visual impairments the opportunity to visit FSC Rhyd y creuau Field Centre for a residential with 3 days of activities in Snowndonia National Park was funded. It is a 3 year project, with 3 residential trips each year (2010 – 2012). Over the course of the trip the young people work together to undertake a range of challenging activities in the outdoor environment. Activities include river investigations exploring what lives in the water courses around the centre, mountain walks, climbing, gorge scrambling and team building challenges.
The closing date for applications is the 1st March 2017.
http://www.field-studies-council.org/about.aspx
Funding to Enrich and Enhance STEM Teaching in Schools (UK)
The Royal Institution has announced that its STEM E&E Grant Scheme will re-open for applications in January 2017 Grants of up to £500 will become available to UK-registered state schools to host a STEM activity selected from the STEM Directories. 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 STEM subjects in that school.
The Institution also runs a Maths E&E (Enrichment and Enhancement) Grant Scheme. This will re-open for applications later in 2017.
http://www.stemdirectories.org.uk/grants/
GALAXY Hot Chocolate Fund (UK)
Food manufacturer, Mars has re-opened the GALAXY Hot Chocolate Fund. Every week, until 26th February 2017, the Fund will be looking to help local community groups, schools and charities across the UK and Ireland by awarding five £300 cash awards a week. Organisations and groups can enter online via galaxyhotchocolate.com. Each organisation can only enter once. Four of these will be awarded by a judges’ panel. There will also be a People’s Choice Award every week which will be awarded to the entry with the most votes in any given week.
Projects supported in the past include:
- Columbus School and College, a special needs school for children and young people with severe and complex learning and physical needs, which used the award to deliver extra therapy sessions;
- KIDS West Midlands, West Midlands that works with disabled children from birth up until the age of 25, allowing us to provide continuity of support as children become young adults; and
- Little Miracles is a parent led support group and charity for families with children who have special needs, disabilities and life limiting conditions. The funding from Galaxy Hot Chocolate enabled the group to expand the range of multi-sensory toys that they have available for the children.
http://www.galaxyhotchocolate.com/
Grants to Promote the Teaching of Microbiology in Schools (UK)
Schools can apply for grants of up to £1,000 through the Society for Microbiology Education and Outreach grants programme. The funding is available to promote microbiology and / or to support the teaching of microbiology in schools.
A variety of educational activities to promote microbiology will be considered for support. These might include organising a visit to or from a working microbiologist; running a school- or college-based science week activity (e.g. hands-on or programme of talks); supporting microbiology activities in an out-of-school science club; buying materials and equipment outside of normal department resources to support a microbiology activity (no more than £500 can be used toward large equipment such as microscopes and incubators); and a class visit to a microbiology laboratory to carry out activities.
The deadline for applications is 1st April 2017.
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (UK)
The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies has announced the next closing date for applications is the 1st February 2017. The Society makes grants to schools to help promote Latin and Roman studies. Most of the grants are awarded for the purchase of textbooks and other books on Roman topics. The Committee also makes awards to groups and schools and museums organising lectures or study days on Roman themes, and has recently made money available for archaeology fieldwork bursaries.
Schools that have recently been awarded funding include:
- Hereford Cathedral School that received funding to run weekly Latin masterclasses;
- Elm Tree Primary School, Lowestoft, Suffolk; and
- The Sir Robert Hitcham CEVAP School Robert which received a grant to help Year 4 pupils study aspects of the Roman invasion and its impact.
Applications from schools planning to start courses in Latin are particularly welcome.
Grants usually range from £50 to £500.
http://www.romansociety.org/grants-prizes/funding-for-schools.html
Family Holiday Association – Holiday Grant (UK)
The Family Holiday Association (FHA) has announced that its funding programme open for applications. Through its funding programme families on a low income, that have not been on holiday for the past four years and have at least one child between three and 18 years of age can obtain financial support for a break during 2016 and 2017.
The FHA can only accept applications from referring agents (such as a teacher, social worker or health visitor, etc) and not directly from families. The holidays provided in the UK. Holidays breaks include free accommodation, linen rental, entertainment passes and holiday insurance (subject to medical conditions). FHA may also make a contribution towards the family’s holiday expenses. To be eligible families must be on a low income (household income must be less than £24,000), not be going on holiday this year and be unlikely to afford a day out.
Thus, the Obote family lost their mother after a long illness…It was such a painful experience for Dad and the two children, Odean and Ida. Thankfully, the Family Holiday Association was able to offer the family a much-needed break, and time to come to terms with their bereavement.
The closing date for applications is the 31st December 2016.
http://www.familyholidayassociation.org.uk/
