Educational trust and charity funding

Many educational trusts and charities offer financial assistance to home, EU and international students.

Most have very specific criteria – such as age, residency or religion – that you must meet in order to receive their help. Some trusts are set up especially to benefit students with disabilities.

Please note that:

  • Full scholarships are rare, due to the large number of people applying each year. Many educational trusts will only help students in their final year of study and often only in their final term.
  • You will normally need to provide evidence that you have tried all other sources of financial help (such as your Local Education Authority) when you apply.
  • Funding is very rarely awarded without proof that the rest of the money needed to complete your course is being supplied by another source.

How to find a funding source

Information about trusts and charities that offer educational funding is available from:

Kingston University is a member of EGAS, so the Student Funding Service can also offer advice. You might find the following books useful:

  • Educational Grants Directory (published by the Directory of Social Change)
  • The Charities Digest (published by Family Welfare Enterprises Ltd)
  • The Grants Register (published by Macmillan)

How to apply

The best approach is usually to write first to the trust or charity giving brief details of your situation, or complete the educational grants search questionnaire on the EGAS website. If you fit its funding criteria, the organisation will then send you its own application form.

You should include these details in your letter:

  • the title and starting year of your course;
  • your age and place of birth;
  • brief details of your previous study;
  • a brief explanation of your financial difficulty and why you are applying;
  • your estimated financial requirements; and
  • how your studies would benefit yourself or others.

You may also need to get a reference from your course tutor, so make sure they are prepared to support your application.