FUNDING FINDER
Useful Funding and Grant Websites
EDUCATIONAL VISITS FUNDING AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Your guide to the latest funding and grants to support learning beyond the classroom. Bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates. If you are a funder, or you’ve come across other opportunities that could be added to this funding finder, please email details to info@evolveadvice.co.uk so that we can share them with our school community.
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Latest grants and funding for learning outside the classroom
Offers with fixed closing dates are listed first, followed by opportunities with regular or ongoing applications.
The Royal Society’s Partnership Grants Scheme
Closing date: 30 November 2026
Grants of £3,000 for STEM projects for SEND students in primary or secondary schools. The grants can be used to purchase equipment and must be linked to projects involving a practising scientist or engineer. 3 deadlines during the year.
Primary / Secondary / SEND
The Historic Royal Palaces
Applications open from September 2026
The Historic Royal Palaces offers your school the opportunity to have a funded immersive learning experience at the iconic sites of the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace, as well as a travel subsidy payment.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis so you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
State Funded/ Pupil Premium/ Primary/ Secondary/ SEND/ Special Schools
Outdoor Essentials Grant - Ernest Cook Trust
Opens January 2027
The Outdoor Essentials Grant is an award to UK state-funded Primary, Special and Secondary Schools to remove barriers and enable pupils to connect to nature and learn outdoors. An award of £500 is offered to Primary and Special Schools and a double award of 2 x £500 (£1,000) to Secondary Schools.
The fund opens 3 times a year. It is sometimes limited to a specific age group or geographical location. It is usually only open for a matter of days.
State funded / Primary / Secondary / Special Schools
Learning through Landscapes – Local School Nature Grants
Open January – March 2027
Helping schools and early years settings with funding to transform their outdoor spaces for learning and play.
Open to schools and early years settings in England, Scotland, and Wales, each grant includes outdoor learning training for staff, a school grounds climate survey, a Climate Curriculum Kit worth £150, and £500 of equipment from a catalogue of over 100 items.
South Downs National Park – Outdoor Learning Grant
Funding till March 31st 2027
Each school is eligible for one grant between April 1st 2026 and March 31st 2027. Please do not reapply if you have already benefitted this financial year.
Schools visiting the South Downs National Park may be able to benefit from our Outdoor Learning Grant. This can help with the costs of a trip by contributing towards the transport and learning providers fees.
Schools and Colleges can apply for a grant of up to £750 towards the costs of a school trip with an education provider*, or for a self-led visit, in the South Downs National Park.
All state-funded schools and colleges with 15% or more pupils eligible for Free School Meals, are eligible to apply for the grant.
The Adamson Trust
Year Round Applications
The Adamson Trust is a long established Perthshire charity based in Crieff. They are able to give financial help with the cost of holidays or respite breaks for disabled children aged between 3 and 17 with physical, mental or emotional impairments. Applications from schools are welcome.
Special Schools / SEND / Primary / Secondary / Nationwide
Alpkit Foundation
Year Round Applications
£50 to £500 cash to individuals, community groups, schools and organisations to encourage people to get outdoors and have great experiences that otherwise couldn’t happen; giving a cash grant to a school to fund transport costs.
Trustees meet every 2 months to consider applications. There's no limit to the number of times you can receive an award. Apply at least 3 months before the start of a project so that the trustees have time to consider it at their next meeting.
Arts Council Wales
Year Round Applications
Go and See is a grant that can be used to fund visits to high-quality arts events in galleries, theatres, arts centres and other venues. Events could include visits to performances and exhibitions or visits to experience arts professionals developing and creating their work.
Primary / Secondary / Wales Only
The Barker-Mill Foundation
Year Round Applications
Since 1995 the Barker-Mill Foundation has donated £4 million to local charities, schools, organisations and individuals needing support, primarily in south west Hampshire.
The Foundation give priority to those in the more deprived local areas specifically Nursling and Rownhams, Redbridge, Millbrook, and Totton.
BlueSpark Foundation
Year Round Applications
Grants up to £2,000 and £5,000. BlueSpark Foundation is a registered charity which supports the education and development of children and young people by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting and other projects.
Primary / Secondary / SEND / Nationwide
Brathay
Registration Now Open!
The Brathay Bursary breaks down financial barriers to help young people experience and benefit from an outdoor residential at it’s dedicated Lake District centre.
Brathay Bursary’s 5-year goal is to support 5000 more young people from across the UK: £3,000 will support up to 10 young people to attend a 3-day residential. £15,000 will support 50 young people to attend a 3-day residential. £45,000 will support up to 150 young people to attend a 3-day residential.
City of London Cultural & Creative Learning Fund
Grants are allocated on a first-come first-served basis
School Visits Fund aims to enable children to experience the benefits of learning outside the classroom. If you’re a teacher or group leader planning a trip, you can receive up to £325 towards the cost of a visit to a wide variety of inspiring venues managed by the City Corporation.
29 inspiring cultural destinations in London.
Primary / Secondary / SEND / Greater London Only / Pupil Premium 35%
The Country Trust
Year Round Applications
The Country Trust supports better life chances for disadvantaged children through hands-on food, farming and countryside experiences. The Country Trust programmes include Farm Discovery Day Visits and Countryside Residentials.
Primary / SEND / England / Wales / Free School Meals
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Year Round Applications
The Access Without Limits schools funding working with the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is set to enable more young people living in the most deprived areas in England to access the DofE at school. Eligible schools can apply for funding to support with the following: Licence Fee support, Bronze, Silver and/or Gold Participation Places and Expedition Equipment.
Secondary / SEND / Alternative Provision / England
Edina Trust Science Grant Scheme
Year Round Applications
State-funded primary schools, nurseries and special schools in Glasgow, Liverpool, Halton, Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Denbighshire, Newport, Torfaen, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon can apply for grants from the Edina Trust to run science projects. £1000 primary school and special schools grants and £700 nursery grants.
Grants can be used for science weeks, science-related school trips, science equipment, and science subscriptions; improving school grounds for science and gardening resources. Applications can be submitted at any time.
Primary / Nursery/ Special Schools
Specific locations in England, Scotland and Wales (listed)
English Heritage
Free Self-Led Visits
With historical sites across England, there are incredible places to visit on your doorstep - and when you bring your class on an educational visit, you can explore for free! Choose from medieval castles, prehistoric sites, monastic ruins and country houses – then plan your day to suit your curriculum needs and the learning level of your group.
Primary / Secondary / Nationwide
EVOLVE Advice Get Out! Grant
Winners of this year’s Get Out! Grant have now been published. Learn more.
Generation Wild
Year Round Applications
A free school visit for your class designed for Years 1-6 to one of Generation Wild’s wetland centres, including free transport.
A free family visit for every child in your class and their family plus the chance to win £500 towards nature equipment for your school.
Primary / Nationwide
Go and See
Year Round Applications
The Go and See Fund offers grants up to £1,000 to enable teachers in state-maintained schools in Wales to take their learners to see high-quality art in venues across Wales.
Teachers can use the fund to cover the cost of tickets and transport up to £1,000 to cover up to 90% of the costs of visits for learners aged 3-16.
Primary / Secondary / Pupil referral / Wales
Happy Days Children’s Charity
Year Round Applications
You can apply for a day trip to a wide variety of destinations, for example the seaside, a theme park or the theatre. You may also apply for a theatre performance or experience to visit your premises. There is also a group activity holiday fund for a wide variety of destinations such as outdoor activity centres, holiday camps and sailing breaks.
Primary / Secondary / SEND
The Henry Smith Foundation - Holiday Grants Programme
Applications for trips between 1 October and 31 December 2026 are open from 20 August and 19 November 2026.Applications at least 6 weeks before the visits.
Grants from £500 – £3,000. The Holiday Grants Programme offers one-off grants for schools, youth groups and non-profit organisations to take children aged 13 and under on recreational day trips or short residential trips. Priority is given to groups supporting disabled children and those with limited access to funds to go on holiday. In 2025, 60% of grants went to organisations working in the UK’s most deprived areas. FAQs here
Primary / SEND / UK
Jack Petchey Foundation
Year Round Applications
Grants up to £1,200 per trip. The Educational Visit Grants support schools with the costs of making visits to museums, theatres, science shows and more.
Primary / Secondary / SEND / Nationwide
John Lyon’s Charity’s School Holiday Activity Fund (London)
Year Round Applications
Special Schools and Alternative Provision based in the Beneficial Areas can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to deliver fun and accessible activities for children and young people during the school holidays. It will cover the running costs of holiday programmes that provide activities in line with current government guidelines. These costs can include sessional staffing costs, transport for children with special needs and/or disabilities, digital delivery, equipment, and food during activities.
Special Schools / Alternative Provision / Barnet / Brent / Camden / Ealing / Hammersmith & Fulham / Harrow / Kensington & Chelsea / Westminster / City of London.
John Watson’s Trust
Year Round Applications
The purpose of the John Watson’s Trust is to award grants for educational purposes to children and young people up to and including the age of 21 who have a physical or learning disability or who are socially disadvantaged.
Primary / Secondary / Further / Higher / Edinburgh / Midlothian / West Lothian / East Lothian
Learning through Landscapes
Year Round Applications
The Local School Nature Grants Scheme - Helping schools branch out into nature.
Primary / Secondary / SEND / Nationwide
M7 Education
Year Round Applications
No such thing as a free school trip? Actually there is... If you are looking to take a trip outside the classroom, your group has a high percentage of pupils on a pupil premium, and your trip is educational rather than reward based - M7 Education may be able to help organise your trip for free!
Primary / Secondary / Nationwide / Pupil Premium 50%
Grants for gardening projects in your local area
Three rounds of applications a year May, August, November.
Metropolitan Public Gardens Association provides grants to community projects, including schools, across the 33 London boroughs. Its aim is to give Londoners the means to create better and greener public spaces in their own special corner of London. Details of how to apply are on the MPGA website.
Primary / Secondary / London
National Lottery Awards For All
Year Round Applications
Social connections and community activities are at the heart of creating healthier, happier lives and a flourishing society. That’s why the National Lottery support amazing community-led projects. Schools can apply for funding between £300 and £10,000 as long as the project benefits and involves the communities around the school.
Primary / Secondary / SEND / England
National Lottery Awards for All - Environment
Year Round Applications
Schools and community youth groups are eligible to apply for up grants of up to £20,000 from the National Lottery funded environment fund for projects that support local climate action. This could include rewilding, creating and maintaining community green spaces and outdoor learning.
National Memorial Arboretum – Access For Learning Fund
The Access for Learning Fund aims to ensure that all school children, regardless of their background, have the access they need to the Arboretum’s enriching, real-world learning experiences.
Schools can access the enriching learning experiences offered by the Arboretum, eligible schools can apply for support from our Education Travel Bursary scheme.
Each eligible school can apply for up to £500 towards travel costs per visit.
Primary / Secondary / SEND
The Outdoor Guide Foundation
Year Round Applications
The Outdoor Guide Foundation funds and delivers Waterproofs & Wellies kits to schools so every child can get outside, stay dry and feel they belong.
They prioritise state primary schools where outdoor learning is already part of the plan, but lack of kit is holding children back.
State Primary
PGL Breakthrough Fund
Year Round Applications
The PGL Breakthrough Fund provides financial support so schools with pupils who need it the most can experience an outdoor learning adventure. For schools with a high proportion of pupils receiving Pupil Premium or equivalent, PGL will fund 50% of the costs when booking an outdoor residential adventure with PGL.
Primary / Secondary / Pupil Premium / Nationwide
The RDC Foundation
Year Round Applications
Applications are reviewed at Trustee meetings in January, April, July & October
The RDC foundation awards grants to support young people under the age of 21 in recreational and leisure activities to develop their mental, physical and moral capabilities.
The Foundation awards up to £1000 grants to individuals undertaking significant life changing adventurous activities that they themselves have been heavily involved in planning. Secondly, they award up to £1000 grants to charities (e.g. PTA) for the purchase of relevant equipment to engage young people in adventurous activities.
Primary / Secondary / Nationwide
Royal Collection Trust
Year Round Applications
Travel Subsidy Scheme: One of Royal Collection Trust's Charitable Aims is to broaden and increase access for the nation. State schools can apply for help towards the cost of travelling to the Official Residences of The King and The Queen’s Galleries, in order to ensure visits are possible for schools working for, and with, economically disadvantaged pupils. Schools can also apply for complimentary facilitated visits through the Royal Collection via the Schools Access Scheme.
Primary / Secondary / Nationwide / Pupil Premium 30%
RHS Travel Bursary
The Royal Horticultural Society is offering grants of up to £1,000 towards your coach travel costs when visiting their RHS gardens. Pre-booked school visits to RHS gardens are free.
Primary / Secondary / Nationwide
School Journey Association
Year Round Applications
As a registered charity, The School Journey Association strongly believes in inclusion, and doesn’t want any child to miss out. One of the prime purposes is to support children from disadvantaged families or with special needs who might not otherwise be able to participate in school trips. For this reason, they may be able to offer a grant of up to 50% of the school trip cost to help individual children from disadvantaged families to participate.
Primary / Secondary / Nationwide
Sunshine Coaches
Sunshine Coaches provide fully accessible, adapted minibuses for SEND schools and non-profit organisations.
The coaches give children the opportunity to explore places they would otherwise never visit, experience different learning environments and gain life skills outside of the classroom. Sunshine Coaches form mobile classrooms by taking children to Forest Schools. These schools enable outdoor learning.
SEND
Tesco - Fruit & Veg Grants
Year Round Applications
Funding is aimed at making a positive difference to children and improve their access to free fruit and veg to support a healthy, nutritious diet.
Our grant funding programme invites schools, registered charities and not-for-profit organisations supporting children to apply for up to £1,500 to improve access to fruit and veg.
Every four months, three local projects are selected to be in the customer vote in Tesco stores throughout the UK. Every project shortlisted for the vote receives funding but a vote using a blue token will make the difference to just how much funding each project receives – up to £500, £1,000 or £1,500.
Time Odyssey
Year Round Applications
Time Odyssey is a digital learning adventure created by the British Museum and Art Explora that takes 7–11-year-old schoolchildren on a journey through time and space at museums across the UK.
School children can enjoy a full day of exploration, guided by a tablet-based game and supported by museum staff and teachers. Schools can also claim up to £500 towards their coach transport.
Bookings need to be made through your local museum; seven museums are participating across England.
Primary
Transport for London
Year Round Applications
Transport for London offers free off-peak travel if your school is registered for the School Party Travel Scheme. Free off-peak travel for school group visits to educational, cultural and sporting venues in London.
London Boroughs / Nursery / Primary / Secondary / State / Academies / Independent
UK-German Connection
Year Round Applications
Grants for joint activities between schools for UK-German activities. Partnership Visit Fund for staff planning visits for teachers and Headteachers. Instant Impact for first-time taster trips, group visits aimed at reviving a dormant partnership, or joint thematic projects.
Primary / Secondary / SEND / UK / Germany
Variety, The Children’s Charity
Year Round Applications
Variety Great Days Out are open to schools that work with disabled and disadvantaged children and young people. Each year, they take thousands of children to one of their themed parties, the seaside, the circus, the theatre, the zoo, a theme park or other attractions around the UK.
Primary / Secondary / SEND / PRU / Nationwide
Images sourced from Unsplash and Envato.
Funding insights and ideas
Money Matters: Funding Your Educational Visits.
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