Funding sources

The Banbury Counselling Academy offers several bursaries for those wishing to access our courses at Level 2 and 3. We hope this will help us increase the numbers of those under-represented in the counselling and psychotherapy professions. If at least one of the following applies to you, you are eligible to apply.

Are you:

a) From a minority ethnic group

b) On income-related benefits

c) With a total household income of under £29, 000

Please note - All our Level 3 bursaries have been allocated for this year. We still have a few left at Level 2.

GENERAL

Local allotment or other trusts in local villages e.g., Souldern Allotment Trust and in Banbury – The Lady Arran Charity (for equipment and books for 18–24-year-olds)

The British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) offer entry level and progression bursaries. The scheme is open to all UK residents, and they strongly encourage applications from racially marginalised groups. They are fully subscribed for this year but will open for another round of applications from Autumn 2023 see https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/bursaries/

The Blackheart Foundation is open to all who are hardworking, under-resourced and who have ambition. All applications are reviewed holistically and are assessed on an individual basis. The application is not limited to university courses, we encourage all those pursuing vocational and non-traditional courses to also apply - http://blackheartfoundation.org/scholarship-programme/

YOUNG PEOPLE

Lawrence Atwell’s Charity awards grants of up to £1,500 to young people aged 16 to 26 to help with courses (up to level 3) that will help them move into employment. Funding can be given for course fees, buying equipment, travel, and educational resources - https://www.skinners.org.uk/atwell/

The Prince's Trust gives grants to young people aged 16-30 who have experienced difficulties at school, have been in trouble with the law, are long-term unemployed or have been in care. - https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/help-for-young-people/get-funding-train-learn

WOMEN

Futures for Women was founded to encourage women towards economic independence through employment. It offers interest-free loans of around £1,000 towards the cost of training for professional, commercial, or technical work. Loans are repaid by monthly instalment. - https://futuresforwomen.org.uk/

Diamond Education Trust - Soroptimist International GB & Ireland offers Diamond Education Grants to women to update their skills after breaks from employment, or to acquire new skills. Grants are made towards course fees or books and equipment, not towards living expenses - https://sigbi.org/what-we-do/our-charities/deg/ **

The Girls of the Realm Guild helps women over 21 years (16 years for those training in music and dancing) towards educational and vocational training. Applicants must be UK citizens. Awards are usually in the region of £250. To apply: write to Mrs Beth Hayward, 2 Watch Oak, Blackham, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 9TP

The Reid Trust awards grants to women educated in the UK towards further training or research at an appropriate educational establishment.

Funding between 250 to 1,000 may be applied for course fees or in some cases for additional support such as childcare -www.thereidtrust.co.uk

FIRST LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH

The Ruth Hayman Trust is a charity which awards small grants to support the education and training of adults who have come to settle in the UK, speak English as a second or other language and have difficulty paying for their studies - http://www.ruthhaymantrust.org.uk/about

REFUGEES

RefuAid (interest free loans for career development courses) see –  https://refuaid.org/

Refugee Resource in Oxford offers a small educational and employment bursary to refugees and asylum seekers - https://www.refugeeresource.org.uk/

Hope for the Young - The Grants and Advocacy Programme supports young people with insecure immigration status in the UK to access and complete higher and further education through the provision of small bursaries and tailored advocacy support - https://hopefortheyoung.org.uk/grants-and-advocacy/

JOB SEEKERS

The Thomas Wall Trust provides grants to support motivated adults living in the UK and experiencing financial or other challenges to undertake education and training (up to level 3) that will increase their chances of employment. Eligible applicants will have been unemployed for at least 6 months within the last 2 years. Grants of up to £1,500 are offered - https://www.thomaswalltrust.org.uk/grants-for-individuals/ **

Aspire Oxford offers a dedicated Employment and Development Worker who will support you with a plan to help you gain work experience, training, qualifications and build your confidence; access to Aspire's Welfare Fund which provides practical support to help you break down barriers to employment - this could include funding for training courses, driving lessons, ID or support with moving into a new home; and more see: https://www.aspireoxfordshire.org/education-training-and-employment-ete

EX-SERVING PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES

British Legion - An employment grant is available to ex-serving personnel and their families, specifically those who are unemployed or under-employed and is capped at £1000 - https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-support/financial-and-employment-support/employment/employment-grants?_

CARE LEAVERS

The Capstone Care Leavers Trust (CCLT) awards grants to people aged 17-25 years who have been in Local Authority Care in England or Wales and are in need - https://www.capstonecareleaverstrust.org/

The Spark Foundation offers small education grants to young people in care and care leavers aged under 26 - http://sparkfoundation.org.uk/FAQGrants.html

OLDER PEOPLE

Barchester’s Charitable Foundation is a registered charity that helps older people and adults with a disability across England, Scotland & Wales. Their focus is about connecting or re-connecting people with others in their local community, and they support applications that combat loneliness and enable people to be active and engaged - https://www.bhcfoundation.org.uk/

RELIGIOUS AND FAITH-BASED

The National Zakat Foundation Education Fund provides grants for education and training to help Muslims who can demonstrate a high level of commitment to community service, to help them to better serve Islam and Muslims in the UK. Grants can be made of up to £10,000 per year - https://nzf.org.uk/

The Anglo Jewish Association provide grants for British Jewish students who need financial assistance to enter further education or while they are studying for full-time degrees at universities in the United Kingdom - https://www.anglojewish.org.uk/index.php/education

FURTHER INFORMATION AND ADVICE ON FUNDING

Gov UK website give an overview of available funding - https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help

The National Careers Service offer a phone or webchat service with a career’s adviser. You can call them on 0800 100 900 during our opening times or use their webchat service at https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

Turn2Us provides information about education grants and has a grant search. See - https://grants-search.turn2us.org.uk/

You can also use online directories such as FundsOnline and Charity Choice to find the right organisation and funding opportunities to suit your needs. These may carry a cost and so it is worth asking the national careers service to search these for you.

Citizens Advice have produced a useful leaflet on helping you meet the costs of learning at Training at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/AdviserNet/CASDocuments/

The following organisations may also be able to offer further telephone or face to face advice on applying for funds and/or filling out a funding application form:

Aspire Oxford - https://www.aspireoxfordshire.org/education-training-and-employment-ete

Citizens Advice - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/local/north-oxon-south-northants/contact-us/

The National Careers Service - https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ or phone 0800 100 900

Age UK - https://www.ageuk.org.uk/oxfordshire/

Asylum Welcome - https://www.asylum-welcome.org/

Disclaimer

The contents of these pages do not constitute professional careers or funding advice and are provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific careers or financial advice you should contact a specialist e.g. the National Careers Service.

The Banbury Therapy Group accepts no responsibility for any information contained within this website and disclaims and excludes any liability in respect of the contents or for action taken based on this information.