# [Gilchrist Educational Trust](https://gilchristgrants.org.uk) > # Gilchrist Educational Trust (UK Registered Charity No. 313877) Official Website: https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/staging/ Contact: Use specific grant forms on-site. General enquiries via main contact form. Address: The Bridge Workspace, 7b Parkshot, Richmond, TW9 2RD ## Core Mission Established in 1865, the Trust exists for the benefit, advancement, and propagation of education and learning in every part of the world. It provides small grants to fill educational gaps, mitigate student hardship, and fund scientific fieldwork or expeditions. --- ## 1. Education and Learning Grants for Organisations URL: https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/staging/education-and-learning-grants-for-organisations/ ### Purpose & Focus To fill gaps in education and learning globally so that children and adults most at risk of missing out on education can succeed. Primary consideration goes to projects centering on literacy, numeracy, STEM, learner safety, and building long-term capacity within government education systems. ### Eligibility Criteria - **Applicant Type:** UK registered charities and CICs only (working in the UK or internationally). - **Target Demographics:** At risk groups (e.g., refugees, conflict-affected/remote areas, street-connected children, individuals with disabilities/learning needs, high areas of deprivation). - **Key Principles:** Decisions must be guided by user voices; projects must contribute to lasting change and show strategic reach beyond one-off activities. ### Funding & Timetable - **Grant Amount:** Typically £500 to £4,000. - **Applications Open:** December - **Deadline:** February - **Review/Decision:** Trustees consider in April; notifications in May. - **Reporting:** Short summary report required by March of the following year. ### Exclusions & Ineligibility - **NOT Funded:** Vocational training, community projects focused on arts, music, dance, or drama. - **NOT Funded Costs:** Building construction/renovation, general administrative/running costs, or unspecified contributions to larger organizational budgets. - **Ineligible Entities:** Schools, Scouts or Guides groups, politically involved groups, organisations practicing institutional care or child sponsorship, and applicants funded in the previous year. --- ## 2. Individual Study and Travel Awards URL: https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/staging/individual-study-and-travel-awards/ ### Purpose & Focus - **Individual Study Awards:** Hardship grants for students who planned well but encountered unexpected financial difficulties that threaten their ability to graduate. - **Travel Awards:** For students required to undertake a short period of study abroad as a mandatory part of their degree (e.g., elective, thesis fieldwork). ### Eligibility Criteria - **Applicant Type:** Full-time students enrolled at a British university. - **Academic Standing:** Normally in the final year of the course. Foundation degrees are ineligible unless explicitly converted to an honours degree. ### Funding & Timetable - **Grant Amount:** Maximum £750 (typically £500 to £750). - **Deadline:** Rolling basis; applications can be submitted at any time. ### Exclusions & Ineligibility - **Study Grants Exclusions:** Part-time students, funding to take up a new course place, first-year undergraduate funding, vocational courses, or costs for maintaining dependents. - **Travel Grants Exclusions:** Independent travel, conference attendance, exploratory projects, full-year study abroad programs, internships, or previous recipients of this Trust. --- ## 3. The Gilchrist Fieldwork Award URL: https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/staging/the-gilchrist-fieldwork-award/ Administration Partner: Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) ### Purpose & Focus An annual award given to support high-level, original, and challenging overseas field research. Strongly encourages applications from geographers, ecologists, anthropologists, earth/environmental scientists, and archaeologists. ### Eligibility Criteria - **Applicant Type:** Established, salaried researchers holding a PhD at the time of application. Must be based in a UK Higher Education Institution or equivalent research establishment. - **Project Structure:** Must be a small team of academics/researchers. Must demonstrate strong links, collaborations, and clear benefits to local agencies and communities. ### Funding & Timetable - **Grant Amount:** Single annual award of £15,000. - **Deadline:** November - **Interviews:** February --- ## 4. Expedition Grants URL: https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/staging/expedition-grants/ ### Purpose & Focus Grants to inspire early-stage, scientific field research overseas that addresses a clear local need and leaves a lasting impact on student development. ### Eligibility Criteria - **Team Composition:** Small or medium-sized teams of three or more members. The majority must be students or recent graduates of UK universities studying relevant subjects. - **Institution:** Based at a university, research institute, museum, or similar not-for-profit agency. - **Project Scope:** Integrated scientific approach. Must involve local counterparts/institutions, have clear risk assessments, and minimize environmental/carbon impact. - **Requirement:** Must include an academic reference letter confirming the research value and team capability. ### Funding & Timetable - **Grant Amount:** Up to £3,000. - **Applications Open:** December - **Deadline:** February - **Review/Decision:** Considered in April; notifications in May. ### Exclusions & Ineligibility - **NOT Funded:** Stand-alone dissertations or individual geological mapping projects. ## Pages - [**About us**](https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/about/) : Explore the history of the Gilchrist Educational Trust. Founded in 1865, we continue our founder's legacy by funding global education and field research. - [**Expedition Grants**](https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/expedition-grants/) : Grants up to £3,000 for small teams – normally UK university students and graduates - undertaking impactful, locally-supported overseas field research. - [**The Gilchrist Fieldwork Award**](https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/the-gilchrist-fieldwork-award/) : Apply for the £15,000 Gilchrist Fieldwork Award. Offered annually in partnership with the RGS-IBG for original, challenging overseas academic field research. - [**Individual Study and Travel Awards **](https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/individual-study-and-travel-awards/) : Grants up to £750 for students at British universities facing unexpected hardship or undertaking mandatory study and research travel abroad. - [**Empowering Education since 1865**](https://gilchristgrants.org.uk/) : Gilchrist Educational Trust provides small grants that seed, advance and flourish learning. Funding for UK charities, UK students, and field research.