STEM Club Bursary

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Would you like to start a STEM Club at your school? Would you like to expand your existing STEM activities? In either case, are you struggling to come up with ideas, find the budget or gain internal support?

If so, then the CSES STEM Club Bursary may be able to help you. This is a fund set up in collaboration with Essex Community Foundation to help the creation and growth of STEM clubs, and we encourage all schools to apply!

Since launching the STEM Club Bursary in October 2014, we have awarded

£7,077.24

to over 19 local schools and STEM Clubs.

See your stories for the amazing things that this has enabled.

What is the STEM Club Bursary?

The STEM Club Bursary is an annual support package that CSES is making available to local primary and secondary schools to help fund the start-up and growth of STEM Clubs. We grant awards, which may include a mix of financial and in-kind support, to schools who make successful applications. This is a significant offering: depending on the application, we may provide support to the value of several hundreds of pounds.

For example, you may want to start a STEM club; start a new STEM activity or project; or introduce new activities to, and extend the reach of, your existing STEM club. To do this, you may need equipment, teaching materials or mentor support. We will provide support tailored to your requirements.

Support from Sir Simon Burns

The Royal Academy of Engineering says that by 2020 we’ll need twice as many engineering graduates and three times today’s number of apprentices if the UK is to meet the needs of an advanced manufacturing sector. Britain needs many more great young engineers if it is to become successful in tomorrow’s innovation-based economy.

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How does the Bursary work?

The first step is to apply online here.

Once you have made your application, the panel of assessors is notified automatically. We will review your application and decide whether to make an award.

If we decide to grant an award, it will be tailored to the requirements expressed in your application. We may, at this stage, need to contact you with further questions.

In any case, we aim to respond to all applications within three weeks during term time. We will tell you if we have reached a decision, have any further questions, or are still deliberating.

Can I get help with my application?

It can be difficult, especially in schools without an existing STEM club, to formulate ideas and articulate what is needed to achieve them. We therefore offer an Application Adviser who can help you with this, come into school to meet with the appropriate staff and/or students, and act as your CSES point of contact.

If you would like an Application Adviser to assist you, please contact us.

If you have keen students or pupils, why not get them to draft the application? We would be delighted to receive an application behind which they are the driving force, and are very happy to deal with them directly.

On what conditions is support granted?

The STEM Club Bursary is linked to the annual CSES Schools’ Engineering and Technology Competition. We make Bursary awards on the condition that the school attends the competition to show us what it has been able to achieve with the support provided, along with any other STEM work that may have been taking place. Details of the competition can be found here.

The award must be used for the STEM purpose for which it was intended. If requested, the school is required to give feedback on how the award was used and what benefit this had.