Cardiff and Vale Education Funds

The Cardiff Community Endowment Fund is an umbrella of funds and donations dedicated to enhancing education and strengthening communities in Cardiff. The fund aims to provide education bursaries for individuals in need e.g. course fees (where assistance is not otherwise available) and grants towards the costs of course materials and activities. Applications should meet at least one of the following priorities:

• Educational attainment including lifelong learning
• Support for talented individuals in the form of scholarships, educational materials or other resources

• Individuals can apply for grants of up to £500

Priority will be given to individuals pursuing further education who attended a Cardiff Secondary school or who have resided in the Local Authority area of Cardiff for at least 5 years, provided that the initiatives do not fall within statutory provision.  The fund is unlikely to award further grants to individuals who have previously received support from this Fund.

The Cardiff and Vale Schools Fund aims to support the following:

• Projects that support the educational development of children from early years to 18 years
• Extracurricular school based projects that support health matters and healthy living

• Organisations can apply for grants up to £2,000 per year for up to 3 years

• Schools in the Local Authority areas of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan running projects to promote education which falls outside of statutory provision. (E.g. after school clubs, breakfast clubs, gardening projects etc.)
• Charities and not for profit groups working with children and young people who attend schools within the Local Authority areas of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan for projects/activities beyond National Curriculum provision.

NB. For both funds, applicants should demonstrate exactly how they will meet the Fund’s objectives and priorities, especially with regard to financial and/or social need. Funding will be prioritised to those who would otherwise struggle to access education due to low family income or disability etc. Projects working in areas of high deprivation and/or working with pupils who do not traditionally engage with education will be prioritised.

In 2020 Community Foundation Wales published the findings of a piece of research undertaken with more than 100 community groups across Wales. Our Loud and Clear report highlighted that charities and community groups in Wales want funders to prioritise core funding and longer-term partnerships. We have used the learning in this report to help us to shape our Cardiff and the Vale Education Fund and to show groups that we believe in their core purpose and want to support them to work more effectively in their community’s longer term.
We recognise how important it is for groups and individuals to be able to plan for the future and that having secure funding can give you the confidence and reassurance to develop your project over the long-term. Cardiff and the Vale Education Fund now offers applicants the opportunity to apply for multi-year funding of up to 3 years but will also continue to offer 1 year project or small capital item funding.
We hope to be able to make at least one three-year grant per year. To be considered for a three-year grant please complete the additional section of the application form indicating how you plan to develop your project over the period of funding being applied for. NB. Your application will still be considered for one year funding if you are not successful with a three-year grant.