Aims/priorities: The Ernest Cook Trust is an educational charity with a vision for ‘an environmentally engaged society’.
The COVID pandemic has demonstrated how important being outdoors is to the mental and physical wellbeing of everyone. It has also highlighted inequalities in people’s abilities to access the outdoors. Research commissioned by The Ernest Cook Trust has identified that transport costs are a key barrier for schools to access Outdoor Learning.
This grant supports school travel and transport costs to any centre or provider that can facilitate these ambitions, including: outdoor learning centres, forest schools, countryside parks, woodlands, national parks, farm parks, farms (including city farms), coastal areas and beaches. Trips to outdoor adventure centres for outdoor activities (such as kayaking and climbing) may be considered, but nature connection and environmental learning must be the primary focus.
Who can apply? Applications are accepted from UK state funded Primary and Secondary schools. This includes:
- Any UK state funded Ofsted Registered Primary, Middle, Secondary or High school
- Any UK state funded Special or Alternative Provision School
- Multi Academy Trusts, but applications must be made by the individual schools.
Grant amount: Grants of £500 per school are available.
Application process: The online application form is available to complete on the Trust's website.
Deadline: This grant opportunity will be available three times in 2021. The current round is open from 8 June 2021 and 180 grants will be available. The application window will close when sufficient grant applications have been approved.
Contact Information: Tel: 01285 712492 Email: grants@ernestcooktrust.org.uk
Website address: https://ernestcooktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/everything-outdoors/outdoor-essentials-grant/