Funding Advice Bureau 


SYFAB guide to... 
Funding for schools 

Most schools are statutory organisations so can’t generally 
access charitable funding. And most funders will not pay for 
activities that are considered to be the responsibility of the 
state, such as normal educational provision and the day-
to-day runnning of a school. So you are very unlikely to be 
able to fundraise for things like textbooks or IT equipment, 
capital improvements to school buildings, or money for 
teaching staff or teaching assistants. 

However, you may be able to fundraise for activities related 
to schools if: 

• There is an independent charitable not-for-profit 
organisation doing the fundraising and managing the 
funds raised, such as a parent-teacher association (PTA) 
or a ‘friends of’ group; and 
• The activities for which funds are being raised have a 
wider community benefit and are additional to the day-
to-day services of the school. 
SYFAB can’t offer development work or tailored funding 
searches directly to schools, but we can work with 
independent charitable organisations like PTAs. 

SYFAB provide free online funding information services 
to help you find sources of funding for your organisation 
easily and quickly. You can keep up to date with the latest 
funding opportunities using our Funding News website and 
email service, and you can find possible funders for your 
activities with our funding search website. Go to 
www.syfab.org.uk for more information and to sign up. 

All organisations can access our online funding news and 
funding search websites. Although they are specifically 
aimed at voluntary and community groups in South Yorkshire. 

You may also find the following resources about fundraising 
for schools helpful: 

Grants4Schools. A subscription based website produced by 
Grants Online. You can sign up for a free 7 day trial. 
Website: www.grants4schools.info 

Fundraising for Schools. A monthly magazine covering 
sources of funding for schools and case studies about 
school fundraising. 
Website: www.fundraisingschools.co.uk 

The Directory of Social Change publish books dealing 
with sources of money and funding advice for educational 
organisations and institutions. 
Directory of Social Change 
Tel: 0845 077 7707 
Website: www.dsc.org.uk 

It’s also worth checking to see if your local library has 
any copies. 
• The Schools Funding Guide is currently unavailable 
direct from the DSC. A new edition is due to be published 
in 2011, and older editions are still available from sellers 
like Amazon. This guide provides advice for schools on 
how to fundraise, and information on sources of funding, 
including charitable trusts, companies, the National 
Lottery, central and regional government and the 
European Union. 
• The Educational Grants Directory by Jessica Carver & 
Alan French. Contains details of about 1,500 sources of 
financial help for schoolchildren and students in need. 
• The Youth Funding Guide by Denise Lillya. How to 
fundraise for youth-related causes, and how to fi nd 
those sources of funding. Covers topics such as getting 
started in fundraising, raising money from the public, 
funding from companies and writing applications. 





South Yorkshire Funding 
Advice Bureau 
The Workstation 
15 Paternoster Row 
Sheffi eld S1 2BX 

Tel: 0114 249 4343 
Email: enquiries@syfab.org.uk 
Website: www.syfab.org.uk 

We can provide this information in other formats on 
request. Please get in touch to discuss your needs. 

Our information is produced for local community and voluntary 
groups. No permission is needed for limited reproduction if SYFAB 
is acknowledged. 
Large scale reproduction or inclusion in publications for sale 
must have written permission from SYFAB. 

SYFAB welcomes your comments and criticism. You can 
talk to any member of staff, or contact us by post, phone, 
fax or email. 

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Reg. Company No: 3030641 

© SYFAB 2003 
All rights reserved. Version 1