The NSEW Small Grant for Schools is currently closed for 2008/9 applications.  It will open in September and money will be awarded to eligible schools in December 2009.


To see information and feedback from schools who held events during NSEW 2009, download the file below.

 2009 Grant School Case Studies (Word 79K) 

If you have any questions regarding the application procedure for 2010 or any aspect of the NSEW Small Grant Scheme, please click here for contact details.

Information on the 2010 grant

For National Science and Engineering Week 2010, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) are again providing extra funds for a number of schools within the UK to organise their own science and engineering events as part of the week. 

Teachers report that science and engineering enrichment activity helps to motivate children and supports their learning and development - as well as being fun! In 2009 just under 500 schools were allocated funding.

With easy-to-use resources and a little funding for materials, this small grant scheme aims to attract teachers and schools in to National Science and Engineering Week who would otherwise find it difficult to take part.

Eligibility and Awards

The aim of the National Science and Engineering Week Small Grant Scheme for Schools, as set by BIS, is to widen access to science, engineering and technology activities to schools in challenging circumstances.

Eligible schools must either:

• have a high proportion of pupils who are from black or minority ethnic backgrounds*
• have a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals†
• be a small school based in a remote and rural location  

* A high proportion is considered to be over 20%
† A high proportion is considered to be over 20%

The grant scheme will be open to any state school within the UK and schools must fall into at least one or more of the eligibility criteria. Priority will be given to schools that either meet more than one of the criteria or can provide a strong case for falling well within a single criterion. The NSEW Small Grant for Schools is currently closed for 2010 applications but will open in the coming months.

In order to distribute the fund to as many deserving schools as possible, the award for successful applicants is set at £150 - £250 each; however, for cases of exceptional circumstance, a small proportion of the fund will be ring-fenced to fund larger grants of up to £500.

In order to qualify for this ring-fenced fund, the application must:

• involve pupils which fall into two or more of the eligibility criteria
• involve a large number of pupils and/or the local community
• include an exciting, ambitious and innovative event proposal
• show a lasting impact of the grant
• relate to an event/activity that would not be possible without the grant

As the ring-fenced fund is imited, it is likely that some eligible schools will be unsuccessful in their application.  In this situation, schools will be offered £150 towards their event costs and schools will be given the option to either a) accept this and raise the extra funds themselves, b) run an adapted version of the event or c) decline the grant if they feel they would be unable to run the event with the money available.

For up-to-date information on the application procedure why not join the NSEW newsletter.