The British Science Association (BSA) has today (30 April 2019) announced funding for local community groups to be part of its British Science Festival. The Festival is coming to Coventry and Warwickshire, in partnership with the University of Warwick, for the first time this September. £500 grants are being offered to local community groups and organisations so they can run an event or activity as part of it. 

The grants will go to organisations that work directly with audiences traditionally underrepresented and currently not engaged in science activity. Diversity and inclusion are integral to the BSA’s mission, as it believes science should be accessible to everyone and that all people should have the opportunity to engage with science as a cultural activity, regardless of their background. 

The grants will therefore allow for new local audiences to engage with science. They empower and support community groups to run their own science activities with the interests of the local population at the forefront. 

Previous grant recipients have used the money for a wide range of activities

Ivvet Modinou, British Science Festival Director, said: “One of the reasons the Festival travels to a different place each year is so that everyone can have the chance to engage with science, so giving out this funding allows us to reach the heart of the host city. We believe community groups and organisations are perfect partners to ensure we are developing events that cater for all audiences.” 

Events that target adults, demonstrate science’s wider involvement in culture, and that are embedded in local communities with a continued legacy will be prioritised. 

Grant applications open on 30 April 2019 and must be completed by 26 June 2019. Applicants can go here and fill in a short online form to apply. 

This is the third year the British Science Festival Community Grants scheme has run, following a successful pilot in 2017. Previous community recipients have used the money for a huge range of activities, including community allotments, workshops for people recovering from addition, and career advice sessions for school leavers. 

The British Science Festival is taking place in Coventry and Warwickshire, from 10–13 September. Working in partnership with the University of Warwick, one of the UK’s leading research universities, it will bring 100 free events to the university campus and across the city.