Small grants programme

Need to know

• Up to £5,000, which should cover the entire project or be the major funding contribution. The total project should cost no more than £5,000

• Usually aimed at small scoping or pilot projects

• A limited number of Small grants are awarded each year

• Small Grant applications are considered all year round and there are no application deadlines

What do we fund?

The Trust has three priority areas: Medical, Social and Religious, with education being a central theme that runs across all grants.

Our Trustees welcome projects that relate to more than one priority area. More detailed information on the criteria for each theme can be found through the links below.

All Trust funded projects must have strong dissemination plans, to ensure a positive impact on the immediate beneficiaries, service-delivery partners, wider stakeholders and policy-makers.

Appropriate evaluation plans must also be integral to project designs, as should demonstrable outcome measures and longer-term impact aims capable of monitoring and measurement.

Evidence of strong Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI), together with appropriate Safeguarding, are fundamental requirements for applications to be successful.

Funding criteria

The Trust funds projects that focus on the prevention (rather than the alleviation) of human suffering. All Trust grants must fall under one or both of the following categories:

• Innovative research projects: i.e. those which explore and test new ideas, methods, approaches, interventions and/or devices.

• Pioneering / ground-breaking development projects: i.e. those which are original and represent the first of their kind and/or lay the foundations for further developments.

Our Trustees are keen to support innovative and imaginative people — often promising young researchers — with whom they can keep in contact as their careers progress.

The Trust receives many more applications than it can fund each year. Even if you meet all of our criteria, it is important to note there are no guarantees of receiving a grant. We are typically able to support around 1 in 10 of the applications we receive. Applying for funding elsewhere will not prejudice an application.

For more information, how to apply and FAQs, please visit Small grants programme - Sir Halley Stewart Trust