The Summer Play Scheme grant round will open Monday 6th February 2023, the online application form will only be available after this date. The deadline is noon on Friday 31st March 2023. The Trustees will review summer play scheme applications in May and successful applicants will be informed by the end of June 2023.

Each year the Trustees of the Woodward Charitable Trust set aside funds for summer playschemes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds between the ages of 5-16 years.

Trustees only fund programmes that run for a minimum of 2 weeks or 10 full days or 20 half days across the summer holidays.

Grants can only be paid to registered charities, CICs, CIOs or exempt charities. If your organisation does not fall into one of these categories, please give the full name and address of a registered charity who has agreed to accept a grant on your behalf. Please note you will need to upload a copy of their most recent audited accounts at the end of the application form, if this is not available on the Charity Commission or Companies House.

Please note that Trustees will now only fund up to 50% of the total cost of a scheme. Most grants awarded are in the range of £500 to £1,000. Around 35 grants are made each year.

Preference is given to:

small local playschemes that provide a wide-ranging programme of activities. Trustees prefer activities that are relatively inexpensive such as crafts and cooking, as well as outdoor activities and sport.
schemes that involve a large number of children.
schemes where past users are encouraged to come back and help as volunteers.

Exclusions

Trustees will not fund:

trips that are only social such as to a theme park or cinema. Trustees prefer to fund trips that are educational and motivational or relate to the natural environment such as to the seaside or countryside.
charities whose annual turnover exceeds £100,000.
overseas projects

Application Form

The trustees receive many more applications than they are able to fund, so please make the most of the opportunity to tell us what makes your charity different and what your achievements are. When talking about your plans for this summer, please feel free to compare them to previous years and what the benefits of attending the scheme has meant to the families and the children attending. Please give details of what you plan to do, beyond just a list of activities, and note that we are looking for organisations that are making a real difference in their communities. Please let us know if any of your activities are child-led and who your volunteers are. Do you provide food and if so, what do you provide?

For more information and to apply, please visit Children’s Summer Playschemes Guidelines | The Woodward Charitable Trust