Finding STEM workshop funding for schools is rarely about a shortage of money. It is about knowing what is open right now, who is allowed to apply, and whether a grant can actually pay an external provider. Rules change often, and closed schemes linger online long after the money has gone. Here is what is genuinely open in July 2026, with deadlines, who qualifies, and a plain answer on whether each can fund a bought-in workshop.
The bursary closing soonest: EngineeringUK, apply by 20 July
The EngineeringUK bursary gives eligible schools £700 to spend on STEM activities, and it closes at 5pm on 20 July 2026. It is the most time-sensitive route open this month, so it is worth checking your eligibility today.
The bursary is for secondary and special schools with students aged 11 and over that meet EngineeringUK's priority-schools criteria. Those criteria target schools serving pupils under-represented in engineering, including girls, pupils with SEND, free-school-meal pupils and minority ethnic pupils. It is not a primary-school route.
Can it fund a workshop? Yes, directly. The £700 covers the direct cost of an activity listed on the Neon platform, plus transport, staff cover and kit. Our workshops are listed on Neon, so an eligible school can put the bursary towards a Hyett session, including provision built for special schools. Schools pass a quality check and are then chosen at random, so a clear, early application helps. Apply on the EngineeringUK funding page.
STEM workshop funding your school can apply for directly
A handful of grants let a school apply in its own name, with no PTA or charitable trust in the way. Three are worth knowing this month, and each can put money towards a bought-in STEM workshop.
Edina Trust Science Grant Scheme
The Edina Trust gives £800 a year to primary and special schools, but only in named local authorities. In Wales that means Denbighshire, Newport and Torfaen. In England it covers Blackburn with Darwen, Manchester, Halton, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent. The grant is close to guaranteed if your school is in one of these areas, and it can be spent on science visits into school, so it can fund a workshop.
BlueSpark Foundation
BlueSpark makes rolling small grants, usually under £5,000, to organisations in England supporting children and young people aged 5 to 22. A school can apply directly for a defined project, such as a STEM club. It suits a discrete enrichment project rather than a routine in-curriculum booking.
IOP, IET and STFC School Grants Scheme
This scheme offers up to £600 for a new physics or engineering project, open to schools across the UK and Ireland. There are three deadlines a year, and the next is 1 November 2026. A bought-in workshop is allowed, and the bid is stronger when the workshop sits inside a wider pupil project. The school must apply, not the provider.
Money you may already hold: Pupil Premium and the Pupil Development Grant
Two of the most flexible routes are budgets many schools already receive. Both can fund a STEM workshop where you can justify the impact on disadvantaged pupils.
Pupil Premium in England is set for 2026/27 at £1,550 per eligible primary pupil, £1,100 per secondary pupil, £2,690 Pupil Premium Plus for looked-after and previously looked-after children, and £360 Service Premium. Enrichment sits in the "wider strategies" tier of the DfE menu of approaches, so a workshop is fundable where you can evidence that it lifts attainment or removes a barrier. Spending is reviewed, so keep the rationale in your strategy statement, due by 31 December 2026.
In Wales, the Pupil Development Grant is confirmed for 2026/27 at £1,150 per eligible learner, held at the same level as last year. It works on the same conditional basis, with Welsh-language guidance on llyw.cymru. For the fuller picture, read our guide to funding STEM enrichment.
One to watch: the Every Child Can programme
In June 2026 the government announced Every Child Can, a £132.5m enrichment programme funded through the Dormant Assets Scheme, and it names STEM among its categories. It is not yet open. The government has not published how schools will access it, so no school can spend it on a workshop today. We will update this page when the application route lands.
What usually does not work, and why
Plenty of grants look like a fit and are not, usually because of who must apply or a community-benefit rule. The National Lottery Awards for All programme excludes the school day, the curriculum and after-school clubs, so it only suits a genuine out-of-hours community event run by a PTA or community group. The Co-op Local Community Fund is between rounds, with the next expected in spring 2027, and needs a PTA to apply. The Ogden Trust's physics education grants have been withdrawn. Being upfront about these saves you chasing money you cannot use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Pupil Premium pay for a STEM workshop?
Yes, where you can evidence that it benefits disadvantaged pupils. STEM enrichment sits in the "wider strategies" tier of the DfE menu of approaches, so a workshop is fundable if it lifts attainment or removes a barrier, and the reasoning is recorded in your strategy statement.
Which STEM funding can a school apply for directly?
Four routes let a school apply in its own name in July 2026: the EngineeringUK bursary for secondary and special schools, the Edina Trust scheme for primary and special schools in named areas, the BlueSpark Foundation for defined projects, and the IOP, IET and STFC scheme for new physics and engineering projects.
When does the EngineeringUK bursary close?
The current round closes at 5pm on 20 July 2026. Eligible schools apply directly, and selection is by a quality check followed by a random draw, so an early, clear application is worth making.
Can a grant pay an external provider like Hyett?
Some can and some cannot. The EngineeringUK bursary and the Edina Trust scheme can pay for a bought-in workshop, while equipment-only grants and community-benefit funds often exclude it, so always check what a scheme allows before you apply.
Turning funding into a booking
Whichever route fits, our workshops are priced per booking and run from EYFS to Key Stage 5, from robotics to AI and cybersecurity. If you work with the RAF or near a defence nuclear site, our fully funded workshops may already be free to your school. To price a funded booking, get an instant quote or contact the team to talk it through.
