Our Access Without Limits schools funding working with the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is set to enable more young people living in the most deprived areas in England to access the DofE at school. To reach these young people, our objective is to engage and support their schools to offer the award.
We not only offer grant funding but support schools every step of the way. This includes working collaboratively to support training and to monitor the progress of the young people on their DofE journey.
To apply for the funding a school must fulfil the following criteria:
- The school is a state school that receives funding through their local authority or directly from the government
- The school does not currently have a DLC licence to deliver DofE
- The school has not terminated a DofE licence in the past six months at the point of application
To receive the funding, a school will need to demonstrate that:
- The school is committed to ensuring that DofE provision is sustainable long-term and that they will subsidise and support their DofE delivery in future years
Eligible schools can apply for funding to support with the following:
- Licence fee support
- Bronze, Silver and/or Gold Participation Places
- Expedition equipment
All equipment purchased is owned and retained by the school and should be loaned but not given permanently to participants. All items should be purchased within the first year of receiving funding. Invoices/receipts will be requested at the end of the first year.
The school must record all assets in its Assets Register. Assets are defined as an item which has a useful life of more than one year and is an item with a purchase price in excess of £500, or a group of items purchased which exceed £500.
We will only fund reusable expedition equipment. Requesting to fund single-use items, such as gas canisters, will cause grant applications to be rejected.
Successful DofE Licensed Organisations will be required to complete an interim and final report by the dates stated on their application form detailing how their grant has supported young people from marginalised backgrounds to do their DofE and the impact this has had.
We require a summary of financial spend and the submission of evidence of expenditure.
- Step 1: Contact your DofE Operations Officer to find out more.
- Step 2: If eligible, complete the DofE’s Grant Application Form with the support of your Operations Officer.
- Step 3: Submit your application form, including reading and confirming you agree to the DofE’s Terms and Conditions.
- Step 4: Your application will be reviewed, and you will receive an email from your Operations Officer confirming whether it has been successful or not.
- Step 5: If successful, use your grant in line with the agreement, making sure you keep copies of all receipts/invoices.
- Step 6: Complete an interim and final report by the dates stated on your application form
Grant recipients may also be asked to host visits from the DofE and the funder to see the projects taking place, to meet participants, to gain a better sense of the impact of the funding on marginalised young people, and to support case study and communications materials about the project.
How to apply
Please get in touch with your local DofE office or contact us via email – [email protected].
"We have a lot of students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds. The funding allows more families to access the award and make it more affordable all round.""Accessing the funding has allowed children of low income families, not eligible for FSMs to participate in an amazing opportunity. It has developed personal skills and self confidence that may not have been achievable in usual circumstances.""Many of our students, including those who are not in receipt of free school meals, have not been outside the city. The expedition section in particular, was life changing for them. Students have also found many places to support in their community, and some are continuing to take part in the activities.""The funding has allowed us as a school to offer this at a very low cost in which this has added a relief for both the school, me as a manager and parents. I could have not done it without."
