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Educational Trusts and Charities
- Educational Trusts and Charities
- What Trusts and Charities are there?
- Other Trusts and Charities
- Top tips for making a trust and charity application
Education Trusts and Charities
In addition to the various options for financial support provided by the Government and University; there are Educational Trusts and Charities that may be able to offer you further funding. There are many trust and charity organisations who have a wide range of criteria that may be able to offer non-repayable financial assistance, depending on your personal circumstances.
What Trusts and Charities are there?
The Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS), is an organisation that administers applications to a huge number of trusts and charities. Only students from universities who are affiliated to EGAS can apply for support from these trusts and charities. BSU is affiliated and every year there are a number of BSU students who are successful in their applications.
In order to apply go to the EGAS website - after completing a short online form, they will let you know if there are any trusts you should apply to.
Next steps:
- Go through the list of trusts and charities and select those whose criteria matches your personal circumstances
- Contact each trust and charity and ask them for details of their application process
- Read through our 'top tips'
Other Trusts and Charities
- The Leverhulme Trade Charities: Offers annual bursaries of up to £3,000 a year if you fit their criteria.
- EDF Energy Trust: Awards grants to people who need help with their energy bills and other essential household costs. Gas and/or electric must be supplied by either SWEB Energy, Virgin Home Energy, Seeboard Energy, London Energy. Forms and further information available from the Welfare Office.
- The Elizabeth Nuffield Educational Fund (ENEF): May be able to help you with the cost of your child care or family care.
- Scholarship Search: This is a useful site to help you find scholarships
- Hockerill Educational Foundation: The Hockerill Educational Foundation invites applications for grants (usually £500 - £1000 p.a.) to teachers in training who have particular financial difficulties.
- Student Cash Point: Student Cash Point is a FREE website designed to help students like you find the funding you need to cover the costs of going to college and university.
- BAHSHE: Students must apply for a Disabled Students Allowance if eligible. Grants are given for items of equipment to aid study such as computers and software; in addition contributions may also be made to extra travel costs, cost of a helper/notetaker, extra books or photocopying.
Top tips for making a Trust and Charity application
- Use EGAS to get a list of Trusts and Charities you may be eligible to apply to
- Not all charities will be relevant to your situation try to pick the charities that you feel best suit your circumstances and need
- Try to tailor your application to the charity you are applying to, avoid a one letter fits all approach; Welfare can offer you guidance on this
- Speak to your tutor to get an academic reference which will give the provider an indication of how you are progressing on your course
- Get a letter from the Welfare and Student Money Advisor supporting your application and to reassure the provider that your application is part of a financial action plan
This link (.pdf) takes you to examples of trust and charity application letters which will help you prepare your own.
The Student Money Advisor can help you with your applications - please contact them for an appointment.