Funding for STEM workshops: what UK schools can use now
Funding for STEM enrichment is out there. The hard part is knowing what is open, who can apply, and whether it can actually pay for a workshop. We check the schemes schools ask about every week and give an honest answer on each one.
Right now, 5 schemes open to applications can or might pay for a workshop, and 4 allocated funds might too. The next deadline is 4 November 2026.
From £597 per day, excluding VATSee your exact price
Last checked: 22 October 2026Latest changesGet funding alerts
14 schemes match your filters. 11 more that cannot pay or have ended are listed at the end.
Closing soon 1 scheme
| Scheme | Can it pay for a workshop? | Status and deadline | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Science Association Curiosity GrantBritish Science AssociationWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Possibly, with conditions | Closing soonCloses 4 November 2026 at 17:00 (13 days left) | £600 cash grant paid to the school |
Open now 4 schemes
| Scheme | Can it pay for a workshop? | Status and deadline | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlueSpark Foundation grantsBlueSpark FoundationWhere: England | Possibly, with conditions | Open all yearOpen all year, no fixed deadline | Most grants are under £2,000; none are more than £5,000 |
| Edina Trust Science Grant SchemeEdina TrustWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland: Belfast City, Halton, North Lanarkshire, Nottingham City, Stoke-on-Trent, North Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Dundee City, Leicester City, Burnley, Swansea | Can pay for a workshop | Open all yearOpen all year, no fixed deadline | £1,000 primary school science grants (£500 for Junior & Infant schools) and £700 nursery science grants |
| Garfield Weston FoundationGarfield Weston FoundationWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Possibly, with conditions | Open all yearOpen all year, no fixed deadline | From £1,000 to several million pounds, depending on the charity's size and scope of work |
| Local community foundationsUK Community FoundationsWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Possibly, with conditions | Open all yearOpen all year, no fixed deadline | Varies by local foundation and individual fund; the national UK Community Foundations pages checked do not themselves state a typical amount or range |
Allocated funding: no application round 4 schemes
| Scheme | Can it pay for a workshop? | Status and deadline | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme (England)Department for Education (DfE), delivered by upper-tier local authoritiesWhere: England | Possibly, with conditions | Allocated fundingAllocated each year, no application round | Over £200 million a year to local authorities for 2026 to 2027, as part of a 3-year settlement |
| Pupil Development Grant (Wales)Welsh GovernmentWhere: Wales | Possibly, with conditions | Allocated fundingAllocated each year, no application round | £1,150 per eligible learner (£116.5 million delegated in total, plus £5.7 million for children looked after) |
| Pupil Premium (England)Department for Education (DfE)Where: England | Possibly, with conditions | Allocated fundingAllocated each year, no application round | For the 2026 to 2027 financial year: £1,550 per eligible primary pupil (FSM Ever 6, reception to year 6), £1,100 per eligible secondary pupil (FSM Ever 6, years 7 to 11), £2,690 per looked-after or previously looked-after pupil (Pupil Premium Plus), £360 per eligible service child (Service Premium) |
| School Enrichment Opportunities funding (Wales)Welsh GovernmentWhere: Wales | Possibly, with conditions | Allocated fundingAllocated each year, no application round | The Welsh Government's pages give two figures: £2 million on the landing page and £3 million in the full guidance, shared across local authorities. |
Closed, or dates not confirmed 5 schemes
| Scheme | Can it pay for a workshop? | Status and deadline | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armourers and Brasiers' Company Support for Science in SchoolsThe Armourers and Brasiers' CompanyWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Possibly, with conditions | Dates not confirmedNo open round confirmed. Check the funder's page for dates. | up to £600 for primary schools and up to £1,000 for secondary schools |
| CREST Awards Engage fundingBritish Science Association (CREST Awards)Where: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Possibly, with conditions | ClosedClosed 20 October 2026 The funder has updated this page since our last check. We are re-checking the details; confirm with the funder before applying. | £350 grant money plus a voucher covering up to £350 of CREST Award fees (an 'Engage Simply CREST' option also exists, offering the free CREST Award voucher only, with no cash grant) |
| EngineeringUK (EUK Education) bursary for Neon activitiesEngineeringUK (EUK Education)Where: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Can pay for a workshop | ClosedClosed 20 July 2026 | £700 for schools with students aged 11+ |
| Every Child Can (England)UK Government, with The National Lottery Community FundWhere: England | Possibly, with conditions | Dates not confirmedNo open round confirmed. Check the funder's page for dates. | £132.5 million nationally; no per-school figure has been published |
| IOP, IET and STFC School Grants SchemeInstitute of Physics, with the IET and STFCWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Possibly, with conditions | Dates not confirmedNo open round confirmed. Check the funder's page for dates. We could not automatically re-check the funder's page. Last confirmed on 26 September 2026. Confirm with the funder before applying. | up to £600 |
Schemes that cannot pay for a workshop (10)
| Scheme | Can it pay for a workshop? | Status and deadline | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Science Association Kick Start GrantBritish Science AssociationWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Cannot pay for a workshop | ClosedClosed 24 November 2025 | Not currently offered |
| Greggs FoundationGreggs FoundationWhere: England | Cannot pay for a workshop | Open all yearOpen all year, no fixed deadline | Feeding Brighter Futures: termly cash grants (amount not stated on the funder's page); Community Action Fund: up to £20,000 per year for up to three years |
| Henry Smith Foundation Holiday GrantsHenry Smith FoundationWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Cannot pay for a workshop | Dates not confirmedNo open round confirmed. Check the funder's page for dates. | £500 to £3,000 per trip, when the programme is open |
| National Lottery Awards for All EnglandThe National Lottery Community FundWhere: England | Cannot pay for a workshop | Open all yearOpen all year, no fixed deadline | £300 to £20,000 |
| PE and Sport Premium (England)Department for EducationWhere: England | Cannot pay for a workshop | Allocated fundingAllocated each year, no application round | A per-pupil allocation to primary schools for 2026 to 2027 (for example, £390 per pupil for schools with 16 or fewer eligible pupils) |
| Primary Science Teaching Trust Priority Areas InitiativePrimary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT)Where: England: Enfield, Medway, Basildon | Cannot pay for a workshop | Allocated fundingAllocated each year, no application round | Up to £1,000 per year for supply cover or science resources |
| Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious grantsRoyal Academy of EngineeringWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Cannot pay for a workshop | Dates not confirmedNo open round confirmed. Check the funder's page for dates. | £3,000 to £30,000 |
| Royal Institution Science in Schools funded visitsRoyal InstitutionWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Cannot pay for a workshop | Dates not confirmedNo open round confirmed. Check the funder's page for dates. | Free visits from Royal Institution presenters, worth £800 (in-kind, not a cash grant) |
| Royal Society Partnership GrantsThe Royal SocietyWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Cannot pay for a workshop | Dates not confirmedNo open round confirmed. Check the funder's page for dates. | Up to £3,000 per project |
| Tesco Stronger StartsTesco, administered by GroundworkWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Cannot pay for a workshop | Open all yearOpen all year, no fixed deadline | Up to £1,500 (Fruit & Veg Grants strand, currently open) |
Schemes that have ended (1)
| Scheme | Can it pay for a workshop? | Status and deadline | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogden Trust Physics Education GrantsThe Ogden TrustWhere: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland | Cannot pay for a workshop | Ended | No longer available |
Found a scheme? Put a price in your application
Attach a quote to your application, or see whether a funded workshop place is open.
Changes for the week of 21 September 2026
We checked 25 schemes against the funders' own websites. The Edina Trust has named its areas for 2026/27, and the British Science Association has opened a new Curiosity Grant.
- Edina Trust: the science grant now covers schools in 11 areas, including Swansea, Leicester City and Burnley. Denbighshire, Newport and Torfaen are no longer listed.
- British Science Association Curiosity Grant: £600 for schools in challenging circumstances, closing on 4 November 2026. It can only pay for a workshop that is directly about research or innovation.
- Henry Smith Foundation Holiday Grants have closed early because the budget has been spent.
- Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious grants have closed. The funder says the scheme opens again in July 2027.
- The Institute of Physics website does not allow automated checks, so confirm the School Grants Scheme's next deadline on the IOP's own page.
Get these changes by email
A weekly email with new schemes and closing deadlines. Unsubscribe at any time.
Who applies: the school, not the provider
Almost every scheme expects the school, trust or PTA to apply in its own name. Some funders say so explicitly and will not accept an application submitted by an external provider.
We can provide current workshop details, learning objectives and curriculum links for a grant application; the school remains responsible for checking the fund’s criteria and evidencing its own intended impact.
How to write a strong bid
Focus on impact: how many students will benefit, how it links to curriculum objectives, how it develops cultural capital, and how you will measure outcomes. Include quotes from external providers, evidence from any previous enrichment, and a clear explanation of why the activity requires external funding.
Most small trusts want a one-page application explaining what you want to do, who benefits, and how much it costs. They do not want a 20-page proposal.
Asking your PTA
PTA budgets are usually set at the AGM, often in September or October, so present your proposal before the allocation is finalised. A good proposal covers:
- What you want to fund (be specific: "a full-day STEM workshop day for all KS2 pupils")
- What it costs (total figure, not a vague estimate)
- What pupils will experience (briefly describe the workshops)
- Why it matters (curriculum links, enrichment, pupil engagement)
- What the PTA gets in return (recognition in newsletters, a mention on the school website, photos of their funding in action)
Charitable trusts and community funds
Many trusts fund registered charities rather than schools, so the usual route is through your PTA, a Friends group or your trust’s charitable arm. Community funds often ask for a benefit beyond your own pupils in the school day, so an after-school, holiday or family session can fit where a timetabled lesson would not.
Local community foundations and service clubs such as Rotary and Lions are worth asking directly, because what they fund varies from area to area.
Multi-academy trust and local-authority funds
If your school is part of a multi-academy trust, there may be a central enrichment budget or a way of pooling resources across schools. Some local authorities also run enrichment programmes or small grants; they vary by area and change year to year, so ask your authority’s education team what is open now.
Combining sources
The most effective approach is usually a combination: Pupil Premium where your strategy supports it, PTA funding so every child can take part, a grant for a defined project, and a local business sponsoring one high-profile event. Spreading the cost reduces dependence on any single pot.