The helping hand

A trawl through directories of grants and funding in education will show a strong bias towards the maintained sector. However, there are a few organisations that can assist pupils through an independent education

Here is a brief list of some grant-making bodies that can help fund scholarships, bursaries and other forms of support that your school could promote to prospective and current parents.

BMTA Trust Limited
Short-term grants are provided for children over the age of 13 who are already attending an independent school to help them complete their current stage of education when parents/guardians find themselves in unforeseen financial difficulties. Only in exceptional circumstances of social need are children helped to start at an independent day or boarding school. No help is provided for sixth-form education. Preference is given to applicants with a motor industry connection.
Tel: 01372 210124

Eleanor Hamilton Educational Trust
The trust provides fee support for the second year of GCSE or A-level in cases of unforeseen family hardship. Awards will be made on the basis of social and financial need.
Tel: 01603 631 459

Haberdashers’ St Catherine Foundation
The foundation provides bursaries towards fees, in cases of unforeseen family hardship, usually to help children complete their final year of GCSE or A-level course.
Tel: 020 7283 3445
Email: admin@jetcharity.org

HSBC Bursarial Fund
Grants are considered for children aged 11-18 who are attending independent schools with a charitable status. Aid is usually provided for one academic year, although in exceptional circumstances it may be awarded for up to three years, and is only available for one child in a family. Assistance will be considered for those students with an acute short-term need arising from a substantial change in their family/educational circumstances and whose education would be impaired at a critical point if a change of school were required. The fund is administered by JET.

Joint Educational Trust (JET)
Help may be provided for children aged 7-13 who are considered to be “at risk”. Usually, boarding places are provided, but the trust will consider day places if the reason is compelling. There must be an element of social deprivation; neither learning difficulties nor financial incapacity alone is enough. It will consider applications from families where both parents are present.
Tel: 020 7283 3445
Email: admin@jetcharity.org

Lloyd Foundation
The foundation provides help for any child of a British citizen and is in need of financial assistance to obtain a British education while the parent is overseas.
Tel: 01432 760 409

Mercers’ Company
The company provides bursaries where there is financial hardship, to assist in the education of children aged 11-18, currently receiving full-time education at independent schools affiliated to the ISC. In practice, grants are usually restricted to children in their two years of a GCSE course and final year of an A-level or International Baccalaureate course.
Tel: 020 7776 7247
Website: www.mercers.co.uk

Mitchell City of London Educational Foundation
The foundation awards grants for A level studies, grants for further education and grants to assist children of single parents at secondary schools. Beneficiaries must be the child of a parent who lives or works in the City of London, or they must be in attendance or have attended a school or educational establishment in the City.
No minimum period of attendance at a City school is required.
Tel: 01432 760 409

Reedham Trust
Grants are provided towards boarding fees to children without one or both parents, where home conditions are prejudicial to the child’s normal development.
Tel: 020 8660 1461
Email: secretary@reedham-trust.org.uk

RN & RM Children’s Fund
Support is given to children of serving and retired RN & RM personnel who are in need of care and assistance. Grants are given towards education where a social need is proven. The age range is generally 5-18.
Tel: 02392 639534
Email: xvp51@dial.pipex.com

Royal Medical Foundation (RMF)
The RMF assists medical practitioners and their dependants who are in financial hardship. Grants are awarded for the payment of school fees for children aged 11-18.
Tel: 01372 821 011
Email: caseworker@royalmedicalfoundation.org

School Fees Charitable Trust
Awards are made to assist parents who are unable to continue to pay for an independent education from their own resources as a result of financial hardship, arising from a severe change in circumstances. Grants are made to cover the final GCSE year, two A-level years, or equivalent examinations.
Tel: 01306 746 303

SFIA Educational Trust Limited
Grants may be given to support bursary funds that are used to cover part-fees for pupils with the following special needs: learning difficulties, social deprivation, emotional/behavioural difficulties, physical disabilities, gifted in a specialist area, boarding need.
Tel: 01628 502040
Website: www.plans-ltd.co.uk/trusts

Textile Industry Children’s Trust
The trust provides grants towards school fees (day and boarding) and other educational expenses where there is a demonstrable case of need. There must be social, welfare, educational or medical factors or a dramatic change in family financial circumstances. No grants for educational preference. One parent must have worked for a minimum of five years for UK-based retailers and manufacturers that principally sell clothing and household textiles (not footwear), excluding wholesalers, distributors and service-providers.
Tel: 01379 788 644
Email: textilect@aol.com

The Athlone Trust
The objects of the trust are to provide financial assistance for needy adopted children and their families who are in necessitous circumstances. The funds are invariably directed to help pay for children with special educational needs to attend special schools in cases where the fees cannot or will not be paid for by local authorities.
Website: www.athlonetrust.com

The Emmott Foundation
The foundation provides grants for sixth form education for pupils expected to go on to higher education, whose parents face an unexpected family, medical or economic crisis. Except in exceptional circumstances, a majority of predicted or actual A grades are required.
Website: www.educational-grants.org/emmott_foundation.htm

The Frank Buttle Trust
The trust provides grants are provided for day or boarding education where children (usually aged 11-16) are facing severe social, emotional or health problems and lack full parental support. Grants are not given when the need is founded on educational or religious preference or when the problem is solely financial hardship.
Tel: 020 7828 7311
Website: www.buttletrust.org

The Royal Merchant Navy School Foundation
The foundation offers educational support to orphans and needy children of all grades of merchant seafarers. The foundation makes grants to fund up to 100 per cent of fees at independent (boarding and day) secondary schools.
Tel: 0118 978 1865/4208
Email: admin@merchantnavy.org.uk

The Royal Wanstead Children’s Foundation
The foundation helps support school-age children (with one or no parents) whose development is compromised by difficult home circumstances.
Tel: 01932 868 622
Email: director@royalwanstead.org.uk

Thornton Smith & Plevins Young People’s Trusts
The trusts assist with the education of able pupils. Grants are generally given to young people already in the independent school system and who are about to begin, or who have already begun, their A-level courses.
Tel: 01582 611 675

Return to Fundraising