Education and skills
Education and skills
Blue Spark Foundation
Blue Spark Foundation supports the education and development of children and young people by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting, and other projects. The foundation value academic, vocational, artistic, and sporting endeavour in equal measure but are particularly keen to support projects which will help enhance the self-confidence, team working skills, and future employability of children and young people.
Deadline: applications reviewed on a rolling basis at approximately 8-week intervals.
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation aims to strengthen the relationship between Britain and Japan, supporting a wide range of collaborative projects in areas such as arts, humanities, science, education, and business. They offer two grant schemes: Small Grants (up to £9,000) for individuals and organisations to promote UK-Japan interaction, and Daiwa Foundation Awards (up to £18,000) for collaborative institutional projects.
Deadline: check website for specific dates.
David Ross Foundation
The David Ross Foundation's firm belief is that every child and young person has passions and talents. The foundation aims to help them discover their strengths by offering them a wide range of world class educational opportunities. Their primary interests are in the arts, community, education, music and sport and enabling disadvantaged people to participate fully in society.
Deadline: none currently.
Fair Education Alliance
Fair Education’s Alliances Innovation Award, supported by Bloomberg, seeks new ideas to address the root causes of educational inequality in England. If you have an idea that could make education fairer, you could receive a £25,000 salary contribution for six months, along with a year of expert support to bring your idea to life. Whether it’s a programme, product, service, partnership, or campaign, if it tackles socioeconomic disadvantage in education, they want to hear from you.
Status: applications will re-open later this year, check website for details.
Garfield Weston Foundation
The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded grant-maker supporting a wide range of charities across the UK, with a focus on those making a positive impact in areas like welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage, and faith. They offer grants for necessary building works, essential operational or core costs, and specific projects.
Deadline: check website for details.
John Lewis Foundation
The John Lewis Foundation supports projects that address social and environmental challenges by sharing the skills and resources within the John Lewis Partnership. Their available funds focus on helping disadvantaged young people acquire skills for employment, promoting environmental protection, and improving the lives of care-experienced young people through education and training.
Deadline: check website for specific fund details.
The Ironmongers' Company
The Ironmongers' Charities support a variety of initiatives focused on young people, communities, and the craft of ironwork through the following funds:
- STEM Projects: Supports initiatives that encourage young people to study science subjects and pursue STEM-related education or vocational training, particularly in Materials Science.
- Grants to Charities: Provides funding for projects that offer educational opportunities to disadvantaged children and young people, focusing on social, emotional, or life skills development.
- Iron Projects: Supports the restoration of historic ironwork or the creation of new decorative work in iron and steel.
Deadline: check website for specific fund details.
The Shears Foundation
The Shears Foundation provides grants of £3,000 to £6,000 to charitable organisations working in one of their priority areas:
- The development of culture and the arts.
- The development and provision of educational opportunities for adults and / or children.
- Protection, preservation or enhancement of the natural environment.
- Creating stronger / better / more sustainable communities.
- Promoting health and medicine, with an emphasis on research or education.
They prioritise organisations in Tyne & Wear, Northumberland, Harrogate, York, Bradford, and Greater Manchester.
Deadline: applications considered on a quarterly basis.
The Yapp Charitable Trust
The Yapp Charitable Trust provides grants to registered charities with an annual expenditure of less than £40,000, supporting projects that work with elderly people, children and young people, individuals with physical or mental health challenges, and those facing social welfare issues. They also fund educational projects, particularly for those who are educationally disadvantaged.
Deadline: rolling.
Thomas Wall Trust
The Thomas Wall Trust offers grants of up to £5,000 to registered charities leading projects that improve communication skills for disadvantaged adults, particularly those facing barriers to employment, such as women, people with disabilities, and refugees. The Trust prioritises initiatives that help individuals gain accredited vocational qualifications and supports NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) people into employment.
Deadline: check website for details.
WCIT
WCIT’s IT4Good Grant Programme supports IT projects that that address one or more of the following priority areas: education; inclusion; IT for charities; public understanding of technology.
Deadline: apply any time, applications considered four times a year.
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to ensuring everyone benefits from science’s potential to improve health and save lives. They support researchers at all career stages across a broad range of disciplines, including physical and social sciences, clinical research, and humanities, to address urgent health challenges.
Deadline: check website for details of specific funds.
Welsh Water
Welsh Water’s Community Fund supports local community initiatives by offering grants up to £5,000 for projects focused on health, wellbeing, environmental improvements, and education. The fund prioritises projects where Welsh Water is actively involved or has been working, aiming to make a positive impact on communities affected by their operations.
Deadline: next application windows are 1 May-30 June 2025 and 1 September-31 October 2025.
Blue Spark Foundation
Blue Spark Foundation supports the education and development of children and young people by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting, and other projects. The foundation value academic, vocational, artistic, and sporting endeavour in equal measure but are particularly keen to support projects which will help enhance the self-confidence, team working skills, and future employability of children and young people.
Deadline: applications reviewed on a rolling basis at approximately 8-week intervals.
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation aims to strengthen the relationship between Britain and Japan, supporting a wide range of collaborative projects in areas such as arts, humanities, science, education, and business. They offer two grant schemes: Small Grants (up to £9,000) for individuals and organisations to promote UK-Japan interaction, and Daiwa Foundation Awards (up to £18,000) for collaborative institutional projects.
Deadline: check website for specific dates.
David Ross Foundation
The David Ross Foundation's firm belief is that every child and young person has passions and talents. The foundation aims to help them discover their strengths by offering them a wide range of world class educational opportunities. Their primary interests are in the arts, community, education, music and sport and enabling disadvantaged people to participate fully in society.
Deadline: none currently.
Fair Education Alliance
Fair Education’s Alliances Innovation Award, supported by Bloomberg, seeks new ideas to address the root causes of educational inequality in England. If you have an idea that could make education fairer, you could receive a £25,000 salary contribution for six months, along with a year of expert support to bring your idea to life. Whether it’s a programme, product, service, partnership, or campaign, if it tackles socioeconomic disadvantage in education, they want to hear from you.
Status: applications will re-open later this year, check website for details.
Garfield Weston Foundation
The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded grant-maker supporting a wide range of charities across the UK, with a focus on those making a positive impact in areas like welfare, youth, community, environment, education, health, arts, heritage, and faith. They offer grants for necessary building works, essential operational or core costs, and specific projects.
Deadline: check website for details.
John Lewis Foundation
The John Lewis Foundation supports projects that address social and environmental challenges by sharing the skills and resources within the John Lewis Partnership. Their available funds focus on helping disadvantaged young people acquire skills for employment, promoting environmental protection, and improving the lives of care-experienced young people through education and training.
Deadline: check website for specific fund details.
The Ironmongers' Company
The Ironmongers' Charities support a variety of initiatives focused on young people, communities, and the craft of ironwork through the following funds:
- STEM Projects: Supports initiatives that encourage young people to study science subjects and pursue STEM-related education or vocational training, particularly in Materials Science.
- Grants to Charities: Provides funding for projects that offer educational opportunities to disadvantaged children and young people, focusing on social, emotional, or life skills development.
- Iron Projects: Supports the restoration of historic ironwork or the creation of new decorative work in iron and steel.
Deadline: check website for specific fund details.
The Shears Foundation
The Shears Foundation provides grants of £3,000 to £6,000 to charitable organisations working in one of their priority areas:
- The development of culture and the arts.
- The development and provision of educational opportunities for adults and / or children.
- Protection, preservation or enhancement of the natural environment.
- Creating stronger / better / more sustainable communities.
- Promoting health and medicine, with an emphasis on research or education.
They prioritise organisations in Tyne & Wear, Northumberland, Harrogate, York, Bradford, and Greater Manchester.
Deadline: applications considered on a quarterly basis.
The Yapp Charitable Trust
The Yapp Charitable Trust provides grants to registered charities with an annual expenditure of less than £40,000, supporting projects that work with elderly people, children and young people, individuals with physical or mental health challenges, and those facing social welfare issues. They also fund educational projects, particularly for those who are educationally disadvantaged.
Deadline: rolling.
Thomas Wall Trust
The Thomas Wall Trust offers grants of up to £5,000 to registered charities leading projects that improve communication skills for disadvantaged adults, particularly those facing barriers to employment, such as women, people with disabilities, and refugees. The Trust prioritises initiatives that help individuals gain accredited vocational qualifications and supports NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) people into employment.
Deadline: check website for details.
WCIT
WCIT’s IT4Good Grant Programme supports IT projects that that address one or more of the following priority areas: education; inclusion; IT for charities; public understanding of technology.
Deadline: apply any time, applications considered four times a year.
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to ensuring everyone benefits from science’s potential to improve health and save lives. They support researchers at all career stages across a broad range of disciplines, including physical and social sciences, clinical research, and humanities, to address urgent health challenges.
Deadline: check website for details of specific funds.
Welsh Water
Welsh Water’s Community Fund supports local community initiatives by offering grants up to £5,000 for projects focused on health, wellbeing, environmental improvements, and education. The fund prioritises projects where Welsh Water is actively involved or has been working, aiming to make a positive impact on communities affected by their operations.
Deadline: next application windows are 1 May-30 June 2025 and 1 September-31 October 2025.