Discover Funding Opportunities

Youth Futures Education Fund

The Youth Futures Education Fund has been established to provide a grant to recipients of the Former Youth in Care Provincial Tuition Waiver, to assist with supplemental educational funding for expenses such as books, housing, utilities, or emergency situations. The amount of funding is determined by the information provided on the application and the outcome of the assessment by institutional officials. This fund specifically supports former youth in care who are pursuing post-secondary education at public institutions in British Columbia, Canada.

Learning Disability Assessment Bursary

This bursary program helps part-time or full-time students with the up-front costs of learning disabilities assessments. Up to $3,500 is available to eligible students who need a recent learning disability assessment to determine eligibility for services and/or equipment. The program is administered through StudentAid BC and requires students to be enrolled at designated public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. To be eligible, students must qualify for student funding through StudentAid BC, be enrolled in full-time or part-time post-secondary level courses at a designated public post-secondary institution in B.C., and have been recommended to have a learning disability assessment by the accessibility services office at their school.

B.C. Access Grant for Deaf Students

This grant helps deaf and hard of hearing students with the additional costs incurred while attending specialized post-secondary institutions where curriculum is delivered in American Sign Language. The grant is available to students who can demonstrate financial need and are enrolled full-time (60 percent or greater course load) at eligible institutions. Eligible institutions include Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York. Students must establish that they are deaf or hard of hearing and submit documentation including an audiogram for assessment.

Rural England Prosperity Fund

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a capital-only fund offering support to small businesses and community infrastructure projects in rural England. The fund aims to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities. It provides grants of up to £10,000 per application for businesses and organizations within Babergh and Mid Suffolk districts, with exceptional grants of up to £15,000 for projects strongly supporting Net Zero Infrastructure or Farm Diversification priorities. The fund is a top-up to and complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England. The fund operates at a 50% intervention rate, meaning projects must be match-funded at 50% of total project costs. All payments are made as reimbursements at the end of the process, so projects must be fully funded upfront. Priority areas include investment in net zero infrastructure, SME investments and diversification, farm diversification outside of agriculture, and visitor economy business expansion. For 2025/26, Babergh received £186,377 and Mid Suffolk received £246,455 in REPF allocations. All projects must be completed and grants claimed by 1 March 2026. Available funds are now extremely limited and close to fully committed. Potential applicants must first contact the Economic Development team on an invitation-only basis if their project meets the mandatory grant criteria, though funding availability cannot be guaranteed.

Peter Smith Award

The Peter Smith Award offers £1,000 to a team of second year undergraduate geography students undertaking fieldwork overseas. The award was launched in 2020 through the Society's Geographical Fieldwork Grants (now RGS Explore Grants) and is named after Peter Smith, a long-standing supporter and Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society with boundless enthusiasm for geography, the outdoors and for learning. The purpose of the award is to support the development of second year undergraduate geography students through international field-based research, with applications from across the breadth of the discipline welcomed. The first Award was delayed until 2022 because of the travel restrictions of Covid. Recipients have conducted diverse research projects including studies of mangrove ecosystems, coastal pollution assessment, oral histories of environmental crises, and glacier research.

Kindred Grants

The Kindred Grants programme provides financial, emotional, and practical support to descendants of Henry Smith's sister, Joane. When Henry Smith died in 1628, his Will included a legacy to help members of his family (his 'Kindred') in financial need. Today, more than 4,500 people are registered as Kindred, and the Foundation awarded 472 grants to 223 people in 2024. The programme offers a range of help including low income support for adults on low incomes (retired or working), one-off costs for essential household items like replacing a washing machine, and financial assistance for students taking their first degree at a UK university. Financial assistance is mainly for those with low incomes and is tailored to individual circumstances. The programme also includes a free, confidential helpline open to all Kindred regardless of income, providing support for mental and physical health, financial advice, personal issues, befriending, counselling services, and legal advice. The Foundation works with partners including Charis for streamlined support delivery, The OT Practice for occupational therapy assessments, and Pennysmart for money and debt advice.