BFSS Grant Program to Support Charitable Organisations in the UK (Autumn 2023)

Deadline: 3-Jul-23

The British & Foreign School Society (BFSS) is seeking applications for the Grant Program to support charitable organisations running UK and International projects to improve access to education or the quality of education for children and young people under the age of 25.

Types of Projects

• UK Projects
  • BFSS supports work that aims to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of Young Carers and Care Experienced Young People under the age of 25 living in the UK.
  • Funding is available for one to five years and is available for new or pilot projects. They do not fund existing programmes.
  • They will fund projects which:
    • Improve educational outcomes
      • Including the support of Care Experienced Young People and Young Carers to attend and engage in mainstream school life, improving their access to out of school support and increasing the number of education professionals able to understand their needs.
    • Improve life chances
      • Including improving the support for Care Experienced Young People and Young Carers (aged 16-24) to access further education, employment or training opportunities and improving support for them to remain engaged with these opportunities.
    • Encourage innovation
      • Supporting new or innovative interventions that are evidence based, with an emphasis on evaluation and the intention that the intervention will be scaled up or replicated if successful.
• International Projects
  • They support work which improves the quality, sustainability, and access to education for young people up to the age of 25 within international marginalised and deprived communities.
  • Funding is available for one to three years and is available for new or pilot projects. They do not fund existing programmes.
  • They will fund projects which:
    • Improve access to education
      • Including increasing the number of educational opportunities, especially for girls, (including construction of classrooms or latrines), increasing the number of qualified teachers trained in inclusive, non-discriminatory practices and improving community attitudes to educating children who are often excluded or overlooked.
    • Improve the quality of education
      • Including enhancing the quality of teaching and learning, improving access to extra-curricular support, increasing child friendly resources, and increasing access to aspirational vocational training opportunities including STEM and IT.
    • Improve the sustainability of education projects
      • Including encouraging educational projects with integrated community management or ownership, self-generating income and minimising their environmental impact.

Priorities

• UK Projects
  • Applications must be new or innovative interventions that are evidence based, with an emphasis on evaluation and the intention that the intervention will be scaled up or replicated if successful.
  • They appreciate it may not always be practical for all of the young people supported by the project to be Young Carers or Care Experienced Young People but they expect these young people to be the driving need for the project and for it to specifically address their unique challenges and needs.
• International Projects
  • BFSS currently has two priority areas, and particularly welcomes applications which focus on:
    • Re-establishing education where the provision of education has suffered from conflict or natural disaster.
    • Enhancing the opportunities and reducing barriers for girls to access education

Funding Information

• UK Projects
  • They will fund between £30,000 to £100,000 per project (maximum £30,000 per year for multi year projects). Annual grant payments cannot exceed 50% of an organisation’s 3-year average income. BFSS will fund between 25% to 100% of the total project costs, but will give preference to projects with some degree of matched funding.
• International Projects
  • They will fund between £5,000 to £60,000 per project (maximum £30,000 per year). Annual grant payments cannot exceed 50% of an organisation’s 3-year average income. BFSS will fund between 25% to 100% of the total project costs, but will give preference to projects with some degree of matched funding.

What BFSS does not usually fund?

• Services which are available through the state-sponsored education system (including the Pupil Premium); existing projects, summer camps; bursaries or scholarships; expeditions, volunteering trips and conferences; international travel; projects where salaries, transport or running costs are the main expense.

Eligibility Criteria

• UK Projects
  • UK registered charities with an income normally between £25,000 and £2.5 million. Charities must be financially sound and registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, and must have at least three years of continuous accounts submitted to the relevant UK Charity Commission or Regulator.
  • UK based and state funded schools, academies, colleges and other educational establishments regardless of their income size, providing they can demonstrate a network effect beyond one individual school. Organisations must be financially sound and have at least three years of continuous accounts submitted to the relevant UK regulator.
  • Organisations should be directly involved in the provision of the project activities. They do not fund organisations whose primary purpose is fundraising.
• International Projects
  • Applying organisations must:
    • Have UK charitable status and be registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. They do not fund non-UK based organisations, Community Interest Companies (CICs) or individuals.
    • Have an annual income normally between £25,000 and £2.5 million.
    • Be financially sound and have at least three years of continuous accounts submitted to the relevant UK Charity Commission or Regulator.
    • Organisations must be directly involved in the provision of the project activities. They do not fund organisations whose primary purpose is fundraising.

For more information, visit British and Foreign Schools Society.