Monday 1st June 2020
The MOD Education Support Fund (ESF) recently opened for applications from state schools, free schools and local authorities (LAs). The bidding round remains open until 7 October 2020. To secure funding from the ESF, applicants must provide evidence of the impact of mobility and/or deployment on their school.
The Directorate Children and Young People (DCYP) share: With personnel moves suspended and rebasing activities put on hold due to COVID-19, there will be limited movement of Service pupils in schools. DCYP, who administer the ESF on behalf of the MOD, recognise that this year it will be more difficult for schools and LAs to provide the same level of evidence as previously.
During these unprecedented times, we want to ensure that schools do not lose out on vital funding. We have made some changes to the application form and now ask for bank details at the time of application. We did this to ensure that the £3 million available from the 2021 ESF can be allocated before the end of the current financial year to avoid money being lost to Defence savings measures. The full application pack can be accessed via gov.uk. Some regional guidance may also be circulated.
We strongly encourage contacting one of the following to discuss any concerns prior to applying:
- For England – [email protected]
- For Scotland – [email protected]
- For Wales – [email protected]
- For NI – [email protected]
Furthermore, we want applicants to be reassured that any grant they secured will be safe, even if they can’t complete a project as planned. This also applies to funding allocated from previously ESF bidding rounds. Applicants should contact DCYP in the first instance to discuss options.
Questions can be put to: [email protected]
Additional information on ESF
The RAF FF has a downloadable article (below) which is in the current edition of Envoy magazine (Summer 2020):
