External Funding Opportunities
Find out more about external funding opportunities for public engagement activities
If you are thinking of applying for any of the funds below, please reach out to the Centre of Public Engagement team to let them know: publicengagement@qmul.ac.uk.
External Funding Opportunities
The Academy of Medical Sciences, Cross-Sector Experience Awards
- Funding available: up to £100,000
This fund aims to help connect people across sectors, bringing together innovators and researchers from different fields to promote health innovation.
The Alice McCosh Trust Grants
- Funding available: up to £1,000
The object of the Alice McCosh Trust is to advance education by providing or assisting with grants for work or study related to natural history and/or the environment. The Trust awards one-off grants in the region of £1000. Grants could be used for projects that encourage people to engage with the environment and take action to protect it.
Alzheimer's Research UK, Inspire Fund
- Funding available: up to £5,000
The Inspire Fund provides funding for projects that engage underserved communities with the topic of brain health and reducing the risk of dementia
Being Human Festival
- Funding available: up to £8,000
This national festival, led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy, provides an opportunity to share research in the humanities in fun and engaging ways with non-specialist audiences. Grants support public engagement activities across the UK.
The Convocation Trust (University of London)
- Funding available: variable
Provides funding for a wide range of projects and initiatives which substantially and demonstrably benefit the community of the University of London Federation.
The Elephant Trust
- Funding available: between £2,000 and £5,000
The Elephant Trust aims to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the fine arts in the UK. Up to £5000 funding is available to support new work, with priority being given to artists in the fine arts and small organisations and galleries.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
- Funding available: flexible (minimum £30,000)
The foundation seeks to invest in long-term impact and change systems for the future - work that has the potential for wider influence or spread; takes a collaborative approach; and centres lived experience, justice and equity.The foundation supports grant applications for work that fits one or more of the funding priorities under three strategic aims: Our Natural World; A Fairer Future; and Creative, Confident Communities.
Gilead
- Funding available: flexible
Gilead welcomes funding requests for innovative, high-impact projects and operating grants that relate to at least one of their therapeutic areas: HIV, viral hepatitis, haematology and oncology. Gilead works with patient advocates, nonprofits and healthcare professionals across all their therapeutic areas of focus to improve care through partnerships and community engagement.
Heritage Fund
- Funding available: between £10,000 and £10,000,000
Funds a broad range of projects that connect people and communities to the UK's heritage.
Institute of Mathematics Small Grants
- Funding available: up to £600
The Institute's Small Grant Scheme aims to facilitate research activity in all areas of applicable mathematics, including support for workshops, and activities that promote the education and training of students and young mathematicians and scientists.
Institute of Physics, Public Engagement Grant Scheme
- Funding available: between £500 and £4,000
The Public Engagement Grant Scheme (PEGS) aims to support the IOP Limit Less initiative by funding projects that meaningfully engage whole family groups (including parents/carers) to improve their relationship with physics. This could be by showcasing relatable role models of those doing physics, actively challenging stereotypes and preconceptions, sharing positive messages about physics, and more.
The Japan Society, Small Grants
- Funding available: up to £1,000
Funding to support small scale projects and events which increase awareness and understanding of Japan in the UK
Medical Research Foundation (MRC): Changing Policy and Practice Award
- Funding available: up to £30,000
Supports the dissemination of MRC and Foundation-funded research results beyond the scientific peer reviewed press, to patients, participants, practitioners and policy makers.
National Lottery Fund
- Funding available: varied
Funds community projects that help people connect, grow and build a better future. The funds focus on supporting people facing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination.
NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR): Enablement Fund
- Funding available: up to £5,000
Funds to support public and community involvement, engagement, and dissemination activities across its nine member departments. Up to £2,000 are available for project-specific activities and up to £5,000 is available for department-wide activities.
Research England: Higher Education Museums, Galleries and Collections Fund
- Funding available: varied
The Higher Education Museums, Galleries and Collections Fund provides funding support to higher education museums, galleries and collections so they can meet the costs of serving the wider research community beyond their own institutions.
Royal Academy of Engineering - Ingenious Public Engagement Grants Scheme
- Funding available: between £3,000 and £30,000
The Ingenious public engagement grants scheme prioritises projects that reach diverse and underrepresented audiences including communities in the most deprived neighbourhoods in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and that engage with engineers and people of different genders, ages and ethnic backgrounds.
Royal Society Partnership Grants
- Funding available: up to £3,000
This scheme funds schools and colleges up to £3,000 to work in partnership with STEM professionals from academia or industry to run an investigative STEM project.
Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund
- Funding available: up to £10,000
This Outreach Fund provides financial support to members, individuals and organisations in order to enable them to run a broad range of chemistry-based public and schools engagement activities.
The Wakeham Trust
- Funding available: up to £2,500
The Trust awards grants of up to £2,500 to projects that are small scale and would find it hard to get funding from big trusts. The Trust does not favour any particular areas of activity however they typically do not support: hard-science medical projects, nor arts/performance projects. They usually look to support small, new, outward looking initiatives for communities to organisations that do not employ staff.
Learned societies
Membership is usually required, in order to apply for these grants.
The Anatomical Society - Public Engagement and Outreach Grant
- Funding available: up to £500
Members of the society can apply for support for public engagement and outreach activities in the field of Anatomy.
ASMCF-SSFH Schools' Liaison and Outreach Fund for French and French History
- Funding available: up to £1,500
This fund supports the development of schools events, activities and resources to encourage and enhance teaching and learning across the areas of interest of the two societies (the Society for the Study of French (SSFH) and the Association for the Study of Modern and Contemporary France) - exploring the French language, French and francophone histories, literatures and cultures.
Association for Art History
- Funding available: up to £1,000
Funding is available to members to aid scholarly research, to develop professional practice and to further the teaching and learning of art history at all education levels.
British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) - Applied Linguistics Fund
- Funding available: up to £25,000
The BAAL Applied Linguistics Fund supports members by offering up to £25,000 to carry out innovative activities which link research and impact/public engagement.
British Association for Victorian Studies - Events funding and Public Engagement and Outreach funding
- Funding available: up to £1,000
The Events funding scheme is intended to support BAVS members in arranging events such as conferences, workshops, training courses, exhibitions, networking events or other events relating to projects of relevance to Victorian Studies. The Public Engagement and Outreach funding scheme is intended to support BAVS members in arranging public engagement and outreach activities relating to projects of relevance to Victorian Studies, both in person and online.
The Biochemical Society, Outreach Grants
- Funding available: up to £2,500
The Biochemical Society supports public engagement and outreach activities that communicate the excitement of molecular bioscience to young people and the community.
British Ecological Society - Outreach Grants
- Funding available: up to £2,000
Providing funding of up to £2,000 for individuals, teams and organisations to engage public audiences with the excitement of ecological science.
British Society of the History of Philosophy - Public Engagement Funding
- Funding available: up to £1,000
Funding available to members to support exhibitions, public events and public lectures relating to the history of philosophy, and the conception of diffusion of content related to the history of philosophy on electronic media including television, radio, websites and podcasts.
British Society for the History of Science - Outreach and Engagement Project Grants
- Funding available: up to £500
Funding available to society members to support engagement and outreach projects in the history of science, technology and medicine.
Microbiology Society, Outreach and Engagement Grant
- Funding available: up to £1,000
Eligible members can apply for up to £1000 to support relevant science outreach or public engagement initiatives that engage new audiences in the art and science of any aspect of microbiology. Activities should inspire and educate people about the importance of microbiology and its advances.
The Royal Society, Public Engagement Fund
- Funding available: between £500 and £10,000
For Royal Society Research Fellows to create and lead innovative public engagement projects to engage audiences with their research
Royal Society of Biology
- Funding available: up to £1,000
The RSB Outreach and Engagement Grant Scheme offers members funding of up to £1,000 to run a citizen science project.
Social History Society, Small Grants
- Funding available: up to £1,000
Provide up to £1000 to support direct research costs or the costs of events and activities run by members of the Society.
Society for Endocrinology, Outreach Grant
- Funding available: up to £750
Funding is available for Society members and Society affiliated patient support groups for outreach activities aimed at the public or patients to help to engage more people with endocrinology and its impact. The scope for this grant is wide. For example, applications could be for funding to support public engagement activities and resource development, patient engagement and support activities, scoping Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) before a research study, and Endocrine Ambassadors to pay for speaker travel expenses for a member recruitment event.
Society for the Study of Labour History - Public Engagement Grants
- Funding available: up to £850
Offers financial support for conferences and public events with a focus on labour history.
The Philological Society, Public Events and Outreach
- Funding available: unknown
PhilSoc has a fund to support public events and outreach events which promote interest in the structure and history of languages, or public support for the teaching and study of languages in the UK.
The Physiological Society, Institutional Engagement Award
- Funding available: up to £500
Up to £500 funding available to support Society Representatives and members to co-host events at their organisation, including outreach events.
University Council of Modern Languages, Small Grants scheme
- Funding available: up to £500
Grants are available to facilitate projects that support the languages mission and values of the organisation, including support for research events and workshops, public engagement events and university-school partnership projects and events.