Grants of between £500 and £10,000 are available to a range of UK organisations, as well as individuals, to put on chemistry-based events and activities for public audiences.
Through its Outreach Fund, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) aims to encourage and support the development of projects that:
- Increase chemistry and chemists' influence in public discourse and decision-making in line with the findings of the Public Attitude to Chemistry Research.
- Maximise members' outreach and engagement contribution.
- Offer teachers a range of effective curriculum-enriching activities and opportunities to further engage their students with outreach. and
- Provide hard-to-reach student audiences with inspiring chemistry engagement opportunities, delivered or coordinated by skilled people.
The Society recognises that engagement activities encompass many approaches with diverse people in different settings – from schools and laboratories to museums and gardens. It is particularly interested in funding projects and organisations that work with different audiences including youth, families, young carers, older adults and school groups.
Organisations and individuals may apply for the following grants (although RSC members are likely to receive priority, requests for grant funding will be considered from non-RSC members):
- Small grants - usually between £500 and £5,000.
- Large grants - between £5,001 and £10,000.
While not an essential requirement, applicants are expected to provide details about whether they have sought and secured matched funding from other sources.
Details of previously funded projects can be found on the Society’s website (scroll down to the section headed ‘View more projects the Outreach Fund has helped’).
Grants are normally awarded for activities that promote the awareness of chemistry and the chemical sciences among public audiences, for example by (please note this is not an exclusive list):
- Activities in major science festivals.
- Exhibitions in shopping centres.
- Open days.
- Performances or plays.
- Public lectures.
- Scout and Guide organisations, and
- Women’s groups.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply is available on the Society’s website.
The 2024 deadlines are:
Monday 12 February
Monday 8 April
Monday 10 June
Monday 9 September
Monday 11 November