Science is one of those things that I think people without money, without the ability to go to some big science museum or science project, which kids love, can’t do. So to bring science right into the heart of their community and make it accessible to them has done something really good because it’s made people sit up and think ‘yeah, this is something that I can engage with, something about me and my world’, which they would never have seen and done before.

- Grant recipient Steve Williams, Centre and Project Manager, OASIS Community Centre

As part of its commitment to growing and diversifying the community of people interested and involved in science, the British Science Association runs the British Science Week Community Grants Scheme.

British Science Week is an annual grassroots celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths that happens every March. The mission of the Community Grant Scheme is to expand the audiences that engage with science and self-identify as having an interest in science by empowering and supporting community groups to run their own science activities during British Science Week. The scheme offers grants for community groups that work directly with audiences who are traditionally under-represented and currently not engaged in science activity, specifically:

• people from ethnic minority backgrounds
• people living in communities which face deprivation, including people disadvantaged in terms of education and income
• people with a disability or long-term health condition
• people living in a remote and rural location, defined as settlements of less than 10,000 people
• girls and women*.

* For community groups that work with girls and women, we prioritise those who work with at least one other underrepresented group.

Groups can apply for one of two grant levels:

• £500 grants for community groups to run one or more events during British Science Week
• £1000 grants for community groups to run one or more events during British Science Week, as well as follow-up activities that will lead to continued engagement after British Science Week.

More information including how to apply can be found on British Science Week website:

Community Grants on British Science Week website

Information and inspiration

You can read our various case studies, where grant recipients discuss their experiences and the impact of the grant on themselves, their audiences and their organisations. For information on the reach and impact of the scheme, please see this infographic summarising the evaluation data from 2016 and 2017 and featuring quotes from grant recipients. 

For more information about the work the British Science Association does to support and engage with community groups, please visit our Community Engagement page and follow BSA Communities on Twitter.