The ANDS fund is open to any setting that supports young people with additional needs.

Participant bursaries

There is a suggested limit of £250 per young person. We expect that most costs fall within this limit. If you have participants who need a higher amount of funding because of their individual need, email [email protected] before applying.

You must give clear rationale for how you will use the funding to support young people’s access to the Award.

You can use the funding to cover:

• One-off Approved Activity Provider (AAP) costs towards the Expedition and/or Residential sections with bespoke specialist provision.
• Food up to £15 per 24-hour period when out on their Expedition.
• Costs for a campsite, bunkhouse or similar appropriate accommodation up to £30 per night during their Expedition.
• Specialist personal equipment to meet individual needs for the Expedition section. If a Licensed Organisation (LO) wants to apply for a participant bursary for personal equipment for any other section of the Award, email [email protected] about this before applying.
• Participants’ personal travel to/from their Expedition and/or Residential. Eligible costs would include
  • train, bus, or taxi fares,
  • mileage rates in own vehicle at 55p per mile.

Sectional equipment

We know participants and organisations might benefit from specific equipment to support access to the Award that is dependent on their delivery plans and the needs of their young people. We do not have a prescribed list of equipment or set limits on applications in each area.

You can use the funding to cover specialist sectional equipment to support participants to do their DofE activities. This applies to the Expedition, Volunteering, Skills and Physical sections. If you want to discuss specific items, email [email protected] for support.

This funding can support buying equipment which would not be eligible through other grant funding. Applications could include specialist equipment or equipment for accessible activities. This includes equipment that needs a higher initial outlay than allowed under other funding streams. For example: portable hoists, all terrain wheelchairs (hire or bought) or raised garden beds.

If your LO wants to buy a specialist item valued at £3,000 or more, email [email protected] to discuss before applying.

Staffing

LOs can apply for up to £150 per day per extra staff member needed to give individual support, close supervision or personal care to a participant during their Expedition section.

You can use this funding to contribute to the staffs’ wage, overnight accommodation, food or travel expenses during the Expedition section. This only applies to extra staff needed to meet participants’ specific personal needs on Expedition.

You must give clear rationale for the extra staff needed. This includes:

• The reason for the extra staff member(s)
• What their role(s) would be
• A breakdown of cost per staff member per hour or day.

You cannot use the funding for Expedition Leaders, Supervisors or Assessors. You cannot use the funding to subsidise salaries of staff who are involved in the normal delivery of the Award.

If a young person needs individual staffing support to do their Residential section, email [email protected] before applying.

Applications open 24 August 2026.

Applications close 26 February 2027.

Contact your Operations Officer or [email protected] to discuss any funding requirements as applications can close early if all the funding has been allocated.

To apply, contact your Operations Officer who will support you to apply via Smarty Grants.

Final reports will be added to the organisation’s grant record in Smarty Grants. LOs will get a notification that they can finish their report about 10 months after their application was approved. The deadline to submit is 12 months after approval. All funded organisations should keep VAT invoices and/or receipts to evidence their purchases.

We might ask organisations to offer case studies to show the impact of the funding.