Deadline: 08-May-24
The British Science Association (BSA) has announced applications for the Science Festival Community Grants to support, grow and diversify the community of people who are interested and involved in science.
They are providing grants to community groups/organisations based in the London Borough of Newham (East London) that work directly with audiences who are traditionally underrepresented and currently not engaged in science activity. They want to empower and support community groups to run their own science activities as part of the British Science Festival, enabling new local audiences to engage with science.
The British Science Festival, coordinated by the British Science Association (BSA), is Europe’s longest-standing national event which connects people with scientists, engineers, technologists and social scientists. Thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in science and to engage in open discussion about issues that affect the culture and society.
This year the Festival will take place in Stratford and Docklands from 11-15 September, hosted by the University of East London.
Funding Information
- They are providing grants of up to £1000
What Type Of Event/Activity Could You Run?
- This grant scheme aims to recognize the expertise of community leaders in working with their local audiences. They are therefore keen to hear what activities you think would work best for engaging your audiences with science.
- In addition, here are a few examples of previously funded events to demonstrate the range of activities that they support:
- workshops exploring the fascinating world of mosses and discovering the vital roles that they play in responding to the climate and ecological emergencies.
- workshops about local research and broader topics in astrophysics and astronomy, whilst carrying out creative activities with space-themed refreshments.
- Activity sessions exploring the science of remote sensing archaeology through the history of their local area.
- Workshops hacking toys to create unique musical instruments and sound generators, whilst learning about electrical circuits and how sound is generated electronically.
- the first ever Exeter Tomato Festival, promoting tomato diversity and demonstrating the seed saving and the fermentation process that is part of saving tomato seeds, whilst highlighting the science of taste, and encouraging people to grow-their-own.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for a grant, you must represent or have existing connections to a community-based group or organisation that works directly with audiences who are traditionally underrepresented and currently not engaged in science activity. For this scheme, groups that are underrepresented in science include:
- People living in communities which face deprivation
- People from minoritised ethnic backgrounds
- People in faith/religious communities
- Disabled people, including neurodivergent people
- LGBTQI+ people, including diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity
- Women (if the project is linked to physics or IT in particular)
- People uninterested in science
- People who are interested in science but do not engage in science
- They will prioritise events targeting adults (ages 16+), in line with the target audience of the British Science Festival.
For more information, visit BSA.