THE MARGARET DOBSON FURTHER EDUCATION TRUST
A limited number of grants of up to £5,000 are available to smaller UK registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations and Community Interest Companies (CICs) that are enabling young adults with a learning disability to live a more independent life once they leave formal education.
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o Application deadline: MONDAY 31st MARCH 2025. This is an annual grant programme that is open between 1st January and 31st March.
o Funder: The Margaret Dobson Further Education Trust (founded 1990. Charity number 1000585. Total value of all grants awarded during the year ended 5 April 2023: £31,765 (2022: £17,548; 2021: £30.148)).
o Who can apply: UK registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and Community Interest Companies (CICs). The Trust prefers to direct its funding towards smaller eligible organisations with an annual turnover of under £1 million.
o Key Words: Learning Disability, Young Adults aged 18-25, Developing Social Skills, Confidence Building, Training, Employment Experience, Entrepreneurship, COVID, United Kingdom.
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The Margaret Dobson Further Education Trust is a modest grant-making charity that awards a limited number of grants in the UK to support young adults with a learning disability after they reach normal school leaving age, so that they may gain the skills to help them live a more independent life.
Project proposals that meet at least 2 of the Trust’s following objectives are likely to be prioritised:
o Designed for and targeted towards people with learning disabilities aged 18 to 25 outside the school environment. Those age 16+ who are not in formal education, training or work will also be considered.
o Enabling social interaction with other people and allow self-expression and confidence building.
o include accredited training.
o Offer employment experience.
o Offer the opportunities for people to gain transferable life skills, which may include how to access support.
o Smaller organisations which are demonstrating an entrepreneurial approach to a locally identified issue.
o Where beneficiaries have been adversely affected by the ongoing impact of COVID-19, and are
o Working in partnership with relevant local organisations and service providers.
Grant awards tend to be for between £1,000 and £5,000. During the year ended 5th April 2023, the Trust awarded 7 grants totalling £31,765 (2022: 3 grants totalling £17,548).
Grants were made to the following applicants:
o Down Syndrome Cheshire (Employability project): £4,315.
o Families United Network (Skills Workshop): £5,000.
o Greater Manchester Youth Network (Changemakers Project): £5,000.
o Think 18 (Thinkout Project): £5,000.
o Toucan Employment (Work Start Project): £4,950.
o Transitions UK (Achieve Project): £5,000, and
o Yellow Submarine (Traineeship Programme): £2,500.
A list of all grant recipients can be found on page 2 of the Trust’s Annual Report.
Please note that the Trust likes to see that applicants have attempted to secure grant support from other sources.
Funding is not available for:
o General applications which have no specific purpose.
o Individuals.
o Organisations that were supported by the Trust in the previous year, unless a multi-year grant has been previously awarded.
o Overtly religious organisations.
o Retrospective funding, or
o Schools.
Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Trust’s website.
The deadline for applications is Monday 31st March 2025 for consideration at the Trust’s June 2025 meeting.