Charities and Trusts

Search and apply for funding

There are thousands of external bodies and educational trusts with funds available for students.

Eligibility, the application process and the value of awards varies enormously between organisations.

Awards tend to be small. They are unlikely to exceed £1,000, so it is not likely that you will obtain funding to cover all of your costs from one organisation. You can, however, build up a portfolio of awards from a number of organisations. Once you have completed one application for funding, you can often easily amend and adapt it to apply for funding from other organisations.

Searching for funding

The most difficult part of applying for charitable funds is locating organisations that you are eligible to apply to. This can be a time-consuming task, and you should be prepared to spend at least a few hours on it.

The Internet

You could start by carrying out some searches in search engines. This will not produce a definitive list of organisations, so take a look at sites which include funding databases and lists, such as:

Funding publications

Many organisations may not have an online presence. To find out about these, look at written funding directories such as the Grants Register, the Directory of Grant Making Trusts and the Educational Grants Directory, which are updated annually. Most local libraries have copies of such publications.

Local trusts

Find out whether you could be eligible to apply to local charities or trusts. Use the local library to see if they have any local funding directories. Narrow your search to look at the area where you live, where you are study, or a particular area that you have an association with.

Newcastle City Library has some funding directories available in the reference section, available on Level 1, Directories and Yearbooks section:

The Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need (361.71)
The Guide to the Major Trusts Volumes 1&2 (361.7)
Charity Choice (361.7)

The Community Foundation website is also useful.

Departmental advice

Talk to your School Administrator/tutor/supervisor about:

how other students have funded themselves
subject specific bodies and professional organisations that the School has an affiliation with

Applying for funding

Check that you meet the eligibility criteria of organisations that you intend to apply to. Read through lists of exclusions.

Approach any potential organisations to check if you meet the criteria, and to request the most up to date applications forms, specific guidance and information about closing dates.

Top tips

answer all the questions fully
complete the form properly
do not include additional sheets or documents unless specified
be mindful of your audience and avoid jargon
ensure you sign and date the form
meet the deadlines
keep a copy of your application

Personal statement

Your personal statement should:

outline why the charity should invest in you
provide some information about the nature of your studies
describe the benefit this will have for your future career

If you have made applications to other funding organisations, it would also be useful to outline this in your application.

Financial statement

Show that you have thought about how you intend to fund your studies. What funding do you have in place? How do you intend to meet any shortfall you have? How much do you think you need in order to manage?

List your income and expenditure, and indicate the steps you will take to show how you will live frugally and how you will make your available funds stretch.

References

Most organisations will want references. Usually, these will need to be from academics.