Hi there, here is the November schools update!
I hope that you are doing well as we approach (at a very fast rate!) the end of another calendar year! I am really pleased to share in this newsletter some lovely funding news that will hopefully be useful across both primary and secondary age, and also some other general useful information that has crossed my path which I thought might be helpful to pass on.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed that can you find five minutes to sit, read and share the below. In the meantime, this is the last schools newsletter of 2025 – when the break arrives, I hope you have a lovely one and I will pop into your inbox in the new year!
Fundraising CPD for school staff
I’ve been kept extremely busy in 2025 delivering mentoring, coaching and training packages for my local Community Foundation, Third Sector Leaders, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and numerous schools and Academy Trusts
This is what a few participants had to say:
- Really beneficial training
- Feel excited about the prospect of applying for bids and being successful
- Feel I have been given the tools & structure to write a successful bid
- Excited about what the bid might do to benefit the children
- A really useful, informative session with lots of helpful tips and advice
I’m now taking bookings for 2026!
If your school, organisation, MAT, Trust or Local authority are interested in increasing the amount of grant funding invested within their area, community or school – and improving life and learning outcomes for children and young people please get in touch to see how I can help. Let’s just make it simple – just email me at lisa@straightforwardfunding.com for further information or to arrange an informal chat.
#Funding News
British Science Week Kick Start Grants are open for applications. The deadline to apply is 5 pm Monday 24 November 2025. The Kick Start Grant is £400 for your school to run an activity during British Science Week.
Eligibility:
- If your school meets all of the following eligibility criteria, we encourage you to apply:
- The organisation is a school, college, or Ofsted-registered Early Years nursery or preschool.
- The school is in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
- The school is a state-funded school. Registered Independent Special schools and Alternative Provision settings that receive local authority funding for pupil places are also eligible.
- The school is not academically selective.
- The young people taking part in the activity/event are aged between 3 and 19.
The school meets at least one of the following additional eligibility criteria:
- A minimum of 30% of pupils are eligible for Free School Meals, or equivalent
- A minimum of 30% of pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds
- The school is based in a remote and rural location
Make sure to review the FAQs for full details on planning your British Science Week event and submitting a Kick Start Grant application. It contains a summary of the eligibility requirements, priorities, the full terms and conditions of the grant, and much more.
Tomorrow’s Climate Scientists is an extension to the Royal Society’s school funding scheme Partnership Grants.
Schools can apply for grants of up to £3,000 to run investigative STEM projects in partnership with STEM professionals from academia or industry. The programme provides an opportunity for students to have a voice in the direction of scientific research around climate change and biodiversity by working with their STEM partner. It also supports students to develop green skills as the UK moves towards a net zero future. Application deadline 1 December 2025
The School-based Nursery (SBN) Capital Grant for 2025 to 2026 is available for eligible state-funded primary-phase schools and maintained nursery schools to apply for up to £150,000 of capital funding to create or expand a school-based nursery. This is the second phase of the school-based nurseries programme. It builds on the foundations of phase 1 (SBN Capital Grant 2024 to 2025) and has an increased focus on supporting disadvantaged families to access early years provision. The online application service will open at 10.00AM on 24 September 2025 and can be accessed through the following link
Closing date: 11 December 2025, 5:00pm
Let Teachers Shine – Grants and support for innovative teachers – applications now open
Each year, from October to January, they invite practising teachers from across England to submit their innovative ideas through a simple application process.
Winners receive up to £25,000 in funding over two years, along with tailored training and support.
SHINE is dedicated to empowering teachers with creative project ideas that can be tested and refined to enhance outcomes for socio-economically disadvantaged children in the North of England.
Applications close at midnight on 14 January 2026.
Royal Geographical Society Innovative Geography Teaching Grants provide funding for geography teachers at secondary level for the development of imaginative and creative educational resources, with a university collaborator.
Two grants, each of £1,000, will be awarded annually to each teacher-higher education team. Team members employed in the higher education sector are expected to hold a PhD at the time of applying.
The aim is to serve both geography pupils and the wider teaching community through the creation of teaching materials. The materials produced will be published on our website.
Deadline: 15 February 2026.
The LoveReading4Kids Funding for Schools Scheme
The LoveReading4Kids Funding for Schools Scheme accepts applications from state funded schools in the UK. Primaries, secondaries and early years’ settings are all eligible to apply.
PTAs are not eligible to apply, the application needs to come directly from the school. Schools can apply for between £1,000 and £5,000.
Fund books with a specific focus on reading for pleasure. Will not fund textbooks or curriculum books.
Areas or Consideration will include:
- Schools with income deprivation or cultural deprivation
- FSM
- IDACI
- Literacy levels
- Schools looking to improve standards
Evidence of these will need to be supplied to validate your application.
The Henry Smith Foundation Holiday Grants Programme offers one-off grants for schools, youth groups and non-profit organisations to take children aged 13 and under on recreational day trips or short residential trips.
Grant amount: £500 – £2,750 per trip
Trip length: A day trip or residential trips of up to 7 days
Age range: Children must be aged 13 or under
Trip type: Recreational only — no educational or religious aims
They prioritise groups supporting disabled children and those with limited access to funds to go on holiday. In 2024, 60% of grants went to organisations working in the UK’s most deprived areas.
Timeframe: For trips from May to August, apply between Thursday 20 March and Monday 21 July. For trips from September to December, apply between Tuesday 22 July and Wednesday 19 November.
#Useful Stuff
Schools are being urged to register their defibrillators on the national database as British Heart Foundation figures reveal that thousands are currently invisible to emergency services.
WWF – Happy By Nature is a brand-new schools programme, created especially for primary-aged children.
“Our ambition is to reach 1 million children across the UK by 2028, helping schools embed nature into everyday learning and play. Join us on a joyful journey around the world from the depths of the rainforest to the icy poles, across our oceans and through the wild spaces of the UK.”
Bring nature into your classroom with a free pack of primary resources to support learning and track progress. Includes a vibrant poster, panda pawprint stamp, pupil passport, certificate, and fun stickers. Get your Happy By Nature Pack here
parkrun’s mission is to create a healthier and happier planet for everyone.
They’re inviting schools across the UK to join the mission and become a parkrun primary, and support young people’s health and wellbeing through the weekend with junior parkrun.
It’s easy to become a parkrun primary. All it takes is five simple steps:
- Register as a parkrun primary and connect with your local junior parkrun(s).
- Host a junior parkrun school assembly.
- Share information with parents and carers.
- Attend your local junior parkrun together.
- You are now a parkrun primary — welcome to the family!
See you next year!!