posted by Rhonda McFarlance, Funding Officer, Chief Executive’s Department
Institute of Physics – 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 organisations and individuals and provides funding to organise public engagement with physics activities.
Applications are accepted from 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.
In 2015, the Ignite! Project received funding. The project provided an opportunity for an accessible and interactive community ‘Fun Palace’ event in Strelley, a disadvantaged area of Nottingham, inspired by the International Year of Light.
Applications must be received by 12 noon on Monday 12th May 2017.
http://www.iop.org/about/grants/outreach/page_38843.html
New Schools Initiative to Help Young People Travel Abroad (UK)
The European Commission has launched a new initiative to help young people travel abroad. The newly-launched Move2learn, Learn2Move initiative will fund the travel of at least 5,000 young people to other EU countries – individually or together with their school class. The one-off initiative which celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus programme for education and training, youth and sport is open to young people attending schools taking part in eTwinning, the online learning community for teachers in Europe. The young people must be aged 16 to 19 and the modes of transport used must be environmentally friendly.
The deadline for applications is the 30th June 2017. The National Support Services which are implementing eTwinning in all 28 Member States will help the Commission in the selection of classes on the basis of specific criteria, including the quality of the project they have put forward under eTwinning for the school year 2016-2017, the extent to which social inclusion (e.g. of disadvantaged young people) has been taken into account in their project and whether the class has travelled abroad before.
Funding for Schools to Purchase New 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.
Examples of sponsored schools are: Armthorpe School, Doncaster; Egglescliffe School, Stockton-on-Tees; and Oaks Park High School, Essex.
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.
http://www.emimusicsoundfoundation.com/index.php/site/awards/
Wolfson Foundation’s Secondary Education Programme (UK)
The next deadline for stage 1 application to the Wolfson Foundation’s Secondary Education Programme is the 10th June 2017. Through its Secondary Education Programme high-achieving state-funded schools and sixth form colleges can apply to the Foundation for funding for capital or equipment projects relating to the teaching of science and technology, languages, music, the arts or libraries. Grants do not normally exceed £50,000 for schools or £100,000 for sixth form colleges.
Projects should focus on students taking A-Level or GCSE examinations. Schools and Colleges applying to our January Stage 1 deadline will, if successful, be invited to submit their Stage 2 application by 15 February and will be considered by the Schools Panel in May and the Trustees in June.
Examples of schools that have received funding through the Foundation include:
- Cheadle Hulme High School, Cheshire, which received a grant of £46,000 for A Level science equipment;
- Jordanhill School, Glasgow for the creation of new science laboratories; and
- Arthur Mellows Village College, Peterborough, received a grant of £40,000 for the :refurbishment of two science IT classrooms.
http://www.wolfson.org.uk/funding/education/secondary-education/
Funding for Outdoor Play for Children with Learning and Physical Disabilities (UK)
The Lords Taverners Outdoor Play grants programme has re-opened for applications. Through the programme, special schools catering for children with severe learning and physical disabilities can apply for funding towards outdoor play equipment.
Funding is available through the Outdoor Small Packages programme for play equipment packages of up to £15,000 and the Outdoor Major Packages programme for play equipment packages of up to £35,000. Play time’ is proven to improve children’s physical and mental health, help develop emotional responses and learning skills and improving basic numeracy and literacy.
Since 2009 the Lord’s Taverners have provided outdoor play equipment to 83 special schools, benefiting nearly 8,000 pupils. For example, Bradfields Academy that caters for 300 young people up to the age of 25 with complex learning disabilities and difficulties received funding for new outdoor play space. The school provides education for students who have to deal with speech, language, emotional, sensory, physical and autistic spectrum disabilities.
There is currently no closing date for applications.
http://www.lordstaverners.org/outdoor-play-spaces-lords-taverners
The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust (UK)
Special schools as well as coaches, clubs, disability groups, associations and individuals can apply for grants from the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust for equipment and specialist wheelchairs to enable disabled people to play tennis. Funding of up to £1,500 is available for groups and clubs and up to £500 for individuals.
Individuals can receive support for a sports wheelchair, tennis rackets, coaching lessons with an Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) licensed coach or course fees for official LTA development/Coaching courses. Groups can apply for wheelchairs, court hire, coaching fees and equipment packages which will include, rackets, balls, mini net, and coaching aids such as cones and throw down marker lines. In the case of wheelchairs, a deposit will be required; for individuals the amount of deposit required will depend on the wheelchair type requested, clubs will need to provide a deposit of £250 per chair.
For example, Tim Farr was awarded a grant towards a personal wheelchair. And Newtown Tennis Club in South Wales have run a very successful tennis programme for children at a special school – Ysgol Cedewain with a range of learning disability where tennis is now embedded at a core school sport with the Club still involved delivering weekly tennis sessions to pupils.
The closing date for applications in this round is the 30th June 2017. The next deadline thereafter will be 1st September.
http://www.danmaskelltennistrust.org.uk/apply-for-a-grant.html
Funding for Sports Related Projects Run by Young People (UK)
vInspired, the Volunteering Charity, has announced that its Cashpoint grants scheme is currently open for applications for sport-related projects. The Cashpoint grants scheme offers grants of up to £500 to give young people (aged 14-25) the opportunity to bring their ideas to life. The funding is available to individual young people (or small groups) who have developed a project idea and will run the project themselves. Projects must be run on a volunteer only basis and funded projects must create at least 2 new volunteering opportunities for 14-25 year olds (in addition to the applicant). vInspired cashpoint must be the only funder for the project. There are no closing dates for applications and grants will be awarded on a continuous basis until all available monies are exhausted.
Rowing Foundation Grants Programme Re-Opens for Applications (UK)
The Rowing Foundation has re-opened its grants programme. The purpose of the Foundation is to promote the participation in rowing of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages. The Foundation gives grants of £500-£3,000 (up to 50% of the cost of the project) to help British rowing organisations, clubs and schools whose requirements may be too small or who may be otherwise ineligible for an approach to the National Lottery or other similar sources of funds.
Previous clubs and organisations supported include:
- St Breock Primary School which received funding towards the purchase of four oars;
- Mounts Bay Pilot Gig Club for lifejackets for juniors;
- The Helford River Gig Club has recently taken delivery of a new set of lighter oars thanks to a major contribution from the Rowing Foundation; and
- Dorney RC for adaptive seat and pontoons for a sculling boat.
The closing date for applications is the 12th June 2017.
http://www.therowingfoundation.org.uk/home/
Greggs Foundation Breakfast Club Grants (England, Scotland & Wales)
The Greggs Foundation currently supports 380 breakfast clubs throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Schools that are interested in opening a breakfast club at your school must be able to show that at least 40% of your pupils qualify for free school meals and that the school serves a disadvantaged community. School should able to attract adult volunteers to help run the scheme and attendance at the club must be free for all pupils. The Foundation uses the money to support breakfast clubs through an initial start-up grant for equipment such as chest freezers to store food items or toys and activities for the club. Greggs Foundation also makes a payment each term towards other food items and Greggs plc donates bread from the nearest shop.
Recently set up breakfast clubs include:
- “clubs” at Hillside Community Primary School, in Skelmersdale which received funding of £600 for its breakfast club which around 45 young people attend each day; and
- Swalwell Primary School, in Gateshead where nearly 50% of school children are entitle to free meals received a grant of £1,100.
Although applications can be made at any time, there is currently a waiting list for funding whilst new sponsorship partners are being identified.
https://www.greggsfoundation.org.uk/breakfast-clubs
