The Educational Opportunity Foundation awards grants that seek to improve educational access and outcomes for children and young people under 25 in the UK and internationally, especially those from marginalised backgrounds or care‑experienced.
Projects for care‑experienced young people in the UK (under 25) aiming to boost educational attainment, engagement in mainstream schooling, and life chances into further education, employment or training; international work focused on increasing access to and quality of education in deprived communities.
Exclusions
Eligible applicants are UK‑registered charities with incomes typically between £25,000 and £2.5 million, and at least three years’ accounts. CICs are not explicitly listed so focus applications on charities. They do not usually fund long‑term or open‑ended work, scholarships, bursaries, state‑provided services, or projects where salaries, transport or core running costs are the main expense.
Deadlines
Applications for the Main Fund are accepted on a rolling basis, with no fixed deadline; ahead of board meetings the next cut‑off is 14 January 2026 for UK applications.
Application process
Two‑stage process: Stage 1 short application; if shortlisted you’ll be invited to Stage 2 full proposal. Decision‑making is via Grants Committee, assessing fit, need, budget and matched funding.
Any specific tips to apply
Ensure your project is new or in pilot phase, and clearly targets care‑experienced young people (UK) or marginalised young people (international). Request between £30,000‑£90,000 (UK projects) for up to 3 years (max £30,000/year). Demonstrate matched funding and that your ask is ≤50% of your 3‑year average income. Focus on measurable outcomes and organisational capacity.