Education Opportunity Foundation

Background

The Educational Opportunity Foundation – formerly known as the British & Foreign School Society (BFSS) – supports charitable organisations working to improve access to education or the quality of education for children and young people under the age of 25, both in the UK and internationally.

It awards approximately £900,000 in new grants every year.

Objectives of Fund

The foundation gives grants to UK charities for educational activities. The funding is intended for the purpose of advancing educational opportunity in the UK and developing countries.

There are two funding streams available:

• UK projects – supports work to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of care-experienced young people under the age of 25 living in the UK.
• International projects – supports projects to improve the quality, sustainability and access to education for young people within international marginalised and vulnerable communities.

Value Notes

The following funding is available:

• UK projects – £30,000 to £90,000 for projects of one to three years (maximum £30,000 per year for multi-year projects).
• International projects – £10,000 to £60,000 for projects of one to three years (maximum £30,000 per year for multi-year projects).

Annual grant payments cannot exceed 50% of an organisation's three-year average income.

Match Funding Restrictions

The foundation will fund between 25% to 100% of the total project costs, but will give preference to projects with some degree of matched funding.

Who Can Apply

Applications are accepted from UK registered charities with an annual income of between £25,000 and £2.5 million, and at least three years of continuous accounts. Eligible organisations must be UK-based.

Organisations must be directly involved in the provision of the project activities.

Location

United Kingdom and worldwide

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Non-UK-based organisations.
• Community interest companies (CICs).
• Individuals.
• Organisations whose primary purpose is fundraising.
• Projects which are not designed specifically for the needs of care experienced young people.
• Long-term projects.
• Services available through the state-sponsored education system (including the Pupil Premium).
• Summer camps.
• Existing projects.
• Bursaries, school fees or scholarships.
• Expeditions.
• Volunteering trips and conferences.
• International travel.
• Feeding programmes.
• Projects where uniforms, salaries, transport or running costs are the main expense.

Eligible Expenditure

UK Projects

Funding aims to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of care experienced young people (under the age of 25 and living in the UK). Funding is available for new or pilot projects, or projects which have started in the past 12 months.

Grants can be used for projects which:

• Improve educational outcomes - including supporting these children and young people to attend and engage in mainstream school life, increasing the number of education professionals able to understand their needs, and improving their access to out-of-school support.
• Improve life chances - including improving support for these young people (aged 16-24) to access further education, employment or training opportunities and improving support for them to remain engaged with these opportunities.

International Projects

Funding supports work that aims to improves the quality, sustainability and access to education for young people up to the age of 25 within marginalised and deprived communities worldwide.

Grants can be used for 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 quality of education - including improving the quality of teaching and pedagogy; improving access to extracurricular support; improving access to aspirational vocational training opportunities, including STEM and IT education; and increasing child-friendly resources.
• Improve the sustainability of education projects - including educational projects with integrated community management or ownership, self-generating income, and minimising of environmental impact.

Applications are particularly welcomed under the following priority areas:

• Addressing the specific challenges that children and young people who have been displaced by conflict face in accessing quality education.
• Enhancing the opportunities and reducing barriers for girls to access education.

How To Apply

Applications may be submitted at any time and will be assessed on a rolling basis.

There is a two-stage application process. Applicants must initially submit a stage 1 application using the application form that can be downloaded from the foundation's website. Those who are successful will be shortlisted and invited to submit a stage 2 application. The Grants Committee will meet at regular intervals throughout the year to decide which applications are funded.

Contact the Educational Opportunities Foundation for further information.