We have recently been made aware of some funding opportunities that your school may be able to access.
SPOTLIGHT ON..
Local School Nature Grants
Overall details: Open to schools and early years settings in England, Scotland and Wales, this outdoor learning grant fund has two elements - £500 of outdoor equipment chosen from a catalogue of over 100 items, and an outdoor learning training course for your staff.
Who can apply: Schools and Early Years Settings
Types of projects that could receive funding: Outdoor learning
How much funding per project: £500
Link for Application
Current grants
The Clothworkers Foundation
Overall details: The Clothworkers Foundation is the charitable arm of the Clothworkers Company, providing grants towards capital projects since 1977.
Who can apply: Registered charities, CICs, CIOs and Special Schools.
Themes/aims of the fund: The foundation will provide capital funding towards buildings; fitting, fixtures and equipment; and vehicles (with the exception of leasing).
How much funding per project: Small and large grants are available, with their Trustees taking the final decision on the size of grant to award.
Closing date: There are no deadlines for this funding.
Link for application
Welsh Water Community Fund
Overall details: In 2017 Welsh Water launched The Welsh Water Community Fund. Since the launch of the fund, they have donated over £500,000 supporting hundreds of local community initiatives.
Who can apply: Schools, Charitable Trusts, Housing associations and Friendly Societies.
Types of projects that could receive funding: Improvements to the environment or local community initiatives promoting health, wellbeing, and environmental objectives. Activities undertaken by registered community groups – specifically with health, wellbeing, cost of living support and environmental objectives. Improving and supporting local education activity for example water efficiency, environmental, innovation benefits.
How much funding per project: £5,000
Deadlines:
- 1 May 2024 – 30 June 2024
- 1 September 2024 - 31 October 2024
- 1 January 2025 - 28 February 2025
Link for Application
National Lottery Awards for All Wales
Overall details: National Lottery funding can help you make a difference in your community. We offer funding from £300 - £10,000 to support what matters to people and communities.
Who can apply: Voluntary or Community Organisations, registered charity, Schools
Types of projects that could receive funding: Bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities. Improve places and spaces that matter to communities. Help more people reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest stage. Support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost of living.
How much funding per project: £300 - £10,000
Check out this project by a school in Swansea! Plasmarl Pals After School Clubs
And many more great examples HERE!
Link for Application
Tesco – Stronger Starts
Overall details: The grants will help schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and equipment for healthy activities.
Who can apply: Schools and Children’s groups.
Types of projects that could receive funding: Breakfast clubs, holiday clubs, play areas, food banks, equipment, or non-statutory services for children.
How much funding per project: £1500
Link for Application
Greggs Foundations – Breakfast Clubs
Overall details: The Greggs Breakfast Club Programme was established in 1999 to help primary school children get a nutritious start to their school day. Every school is provided with fresh bread from their nearest Greggs shop, and a grant to support start-up and ongoing costs. The average club costs just £3,000 to set up and run a year based on 65 children.
Who can apply: PrimarySchools with at least 40% of pupils eligible for free school meals.
Types of projects that could receive funding: Breakfast Club
Link for Application
Local School Nature Grants
Overall details: Open to schools and early years settings in England, Scotland and Wales, this outdoor learning grant fund has two elements - £500 of outdoor equipment chosen from a catalogue of over 100 items, and an outdoor learning training course for your staff.
Who can apply: Schools and Early Years Settings
Types of projects that could receive funding: Outdoor learning
How much funding per project: £500
Link for Application
Ford Britain Trust
Overall details: The Ford Britian Trust are committed to supporting communities to “sow the seeds of change”.
Who can apply: Registered charities, Schools/PTAs and Non-profit organisations.
Themes/aims of the fund: The fund will support contributions to capital projects, capital expenditure (including equipment) and Contribution towards the purchase of a new vehicle. Focusing on:
- Education
- Environment
- Children
- Those with Disabilities
- Youth Projects
How much funding per project: Small projects up to £250 and Large projects ranging from £250 - £3,000.
Closing dates:
- Large Grants 31st July 2024 (Consideration by board in September 2024) and 31st January 205 (Consideration by board in December 2024)
- Small Grants 30th June, 31st October and 28th February.
Link for application
Twinkl: Prize Draw Community
Overall details: Whatever you’ve got planned, whether it’s new P.E. equipment, resourcing your after-school clubs or even some fresh classroom plant life, the Twinkl Prize Draw Community Collection is here to help
Who can apply: Schools and Organisations.
Themes/aims of the fund: The Community Collection is our way of helping to fund a project, such as new playground equipment, setting up a new school club, or kickstart big projects, and make sure every child has the best opportunities possible. We’re offering up to £500 for whatever project you like - any school or educational organisation can apply.
Open for funding applications all year round.
How much funding per project: £500
Closing dates: Applications opened all years with winners being selected each month.
Link for application
National Lottery: Sustainable Steps Wales - Egin Grants
Overall details: We want to help community groups in Wales who are starting to take action on climate change and want to live in a more sustainable way. Our grants will help groups who are receiving support from Sustainable Steps Wales - Egin Mentoring Service, to kick start their ideas. You can ask to be mentored.
Who can apply:
- Registered charity
- Voluntary or community organisation
- Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
- Unregistered voluntary or community organisation
- Town and community councils (providing there is strong support from the community for the idea to be developed).
- School (as long as your project benefits and involves the communities around the school)
Themes/aims of the fund:
- The main focus of your project should be about engaging with climate change and living in a more sustainable way. But they would also like to know about the other benefits of your project. These could include things like improving people’s wellbeing, improving relationships between people and organisations, or improving biodiversity.
- They want to fund projects that have thought about the impact their activities will have on nature and, where possible, limit anything that is damaging.
- They want to fund projects that will share what they’ve learnt with others. They will fund organisations that want to learn, and plan to share what they learn with similar groups.
How much funding per project: up to £15,000
Closing dates: N/A can apply when you’re ready! (once you are signed up to be mentored by Egin).
Link for application
Childhood poverty innovation and supporting communities grant (Welsh Government)
Overall details: The grant is available to support public and third sector organisations in their efforts to achieve the following:
- Enhance the capacity of organisations to form collaborative working arrangements to address child poverty, linked to one or more of the 5 objectives of the Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024.
- Support organisations working together to enhance effective communication, joint working and knowledge transfer in responding to child poverty at the regional, local or community level.
Who can apply: £900,000 is being made available to support public and third sector organisations (which include faith groups).
Themes/aims of the fund: Enhance the capacity of organisations to form collaborative working arrangements to address child poverty, linked to one or more of the 5 objectives of the Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024.
- Objective 1: to reduce costs and maximise the incomes of families.
- Objective 2: to create pathways out of poverty so that children and young people and their families have opportunities to realise their potential.
- Objective 3: to support child and family wellbeing and make sure that work across the Welsh Government delivers for children living in poverty, including those with protected characteristics, so that they can enjoy their rights and have better outcomes.
- Objective 4: challenge the stigma of poverty and ensure children, young people and their families are treated with dignity and respect by the people and services who interact with and support them.
- Objective 5: to ensure that effective cross -government working at the national level enables strong collaboration at the regional and local level
How much funding per project: £5000 - £100,000
Closing dates:
- 14 July 2024: grant application window closes.
- Week commencing 12 August 2024: outcome letters issued to bidders.
- Week commencing 19 August 2024: grant award letters issued.
Link for application
Grants that are currently closed - but will re-open in 2024
Local Giving - Magic Little Grants
Please note that schools are eligible to apply if they are a registered charity.
Overall details: Local Giving have once again opened their "magic little grants" funding round for 2023. More than 2,600 grants were made last year, and this is one of the easiest written applications you'll see!
Who can apply: Organisations in their first year, or with an income under £250,000
Themes/aims of the fund: Applications will be accepted under one of seven themes, including enabling participation in physical activity; preventing or reducing the impact of poverty; and supporting marginalised groups and tackling inequality.
Link for application
Hints and Tips when applying for funding
Research the grant:
- Read the eligibility criteria closely to check that you and the grant are a good match.
- Take their eligibility quiz/check if they have one.
- If possible, read examples of projects they have funded before.
- Check their funding exclusions (what they will not fund).
- Make a note of the deadline/closing date to ensure you submit on time.
Completing the application:
- Use your pupil voice – a contribution from your young ambassadors and/or leaders could really strengthen your application.
- Write in plain English – avoid acronyms and jargon, remember that a lot of the grants aren’t specific to schools so the funders may not be familiar with educational language.
- Be specific about what you plan to do - keep it simple and make sure that the panel will understand exactly what you are going to do.
- Focus your application on the funder’s priorities – most grants will have key outcomes or areas, so you want to ensure that your project addresses at least one of these.
- Try to provide evidence that your project is needed – use pupil voice or local research/statistics to convince the funders that the project is required.
- Don’t apply for more than you need – apply for your project costs, and don’t add extras just to get more money! Make sure all project costs are specific and don’t label anything as ‘miscellaneous’.
Success Stories
COMING SOON!