How to apply for a grant

Your Application

Applications should be submitted at least three weeks before one of the regular meetings of Trustees which are held three times a year, normally in February, July and November. Please check the date of the next meeting, and the closing date for applications, which are shown under News. If the application is successful, arrangements for payment of the grant to the appropriate establishment or supplier can be made shortly after the Trustees’ meeting. Grants are not usually paid directly to the applicant, unless by prior arrangement and agreement.

For a course of study over twelve months, a fresh application is required for the second and subsequent years. Three years is normally the maximum period for a grant to any one person. The award of a grant for one year of a multi-year course does not mean that one will automatically be awarded for subsequent years. Grants are not given for Masters or second degrees.

The closing date for receipt of applications for consideration at the next Trustee meeting is 19th October 2024, the meeting date is 9th November 2024.

Please complete the grant application form below giving as much detail as possible for the reason you are applying to us.

Please ensure you meet the residence requirements before completing the application form.

Trustees will consider support for University applications once a year in the Summer meeting, usually in June or July

We only consider University support applications at our summer meeting which is usually in June or July for the upcoming academic year. The summer meeting is the only time you will be able to apply to the Trust for a University grant in the year. We appreciate that most people will not have a confirmed place but if you are planning to go to University in Sep/Oct you should apply in expectation of gaining a place. We will decide on grant awards at our meeting but payment of these will only be made once you have a place confirmed.

If you are completing the form for someone else, i.e if you are a parent, place the grantees name in the NAME section on the form, but put your own name in, in the SIGNED section at the bottom including you relationship to the grantee in brackets. All details at the top of the form are for the grantee, eg, name / DOB etc.

For school trips, we currently only consider applications from St Mary’s Middle School in Puddletown and it’s feeder schools Puddletown First, Piddle Valley First, Milborne St Andrew First, Frome Valley First, Cheselbourne First and Broadmayne First schools.

Please ensure you have sufficient funds to initially purchase an item if your application is for financial support towards the item. The Trust only makes a payment towards an item after receiving a receipt of purchase.

Trustees will consider support for University applications once a year in the Summer meeting, usually June or July.

Please add the email address bridgeeducationaltrust@outlook.com to your contacts so that any communication from the Trust is not sent to your Junk email folder.

APPLICATION FOR GRANT

THE BRIDGE EDUCATIONAL TRUST
A Registered Charity No: 1068720
• To be completed by the applicant in person, or by a parent for a child under 16.
• Please check that you meet the eligibility requirements for a grant as detailed at our Grant Criteria page before you complete the form.
• All information provided in this application form will be treated as strictly private and confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside of the Trust. The information will be circulated to, and used by, the Trustees in reaching their decision with regard to the application. Information received will be retained in accordance with the Trust's retention of records policy details of which is available on request.

DATE OF APPLICATION*
DD slash MM slash YYYY

Name*
Forenames Surname Marital Status
Address*
Address Postcode

Email*
Enter Email Confirm Email

Telephone*
Date of Birth*

Day
Month
Year

EDUCATION
SCHOOLS/COLLEGE ATTENDED*
Please enter School/College name, dates attended and qualifications obtained
Full Details of Course or Training for which a grant is required:
Name of Course/Training*

Start date & duration of Course/Training:*

Cost of Course/Training*

Educational establishment where the Course/Training is to be held, or name of provider if Distance Learning:*

Where will you live during the course of study e.g. halls of residence/rented accommodation/home?*

Please specify particular aspect(s) of the Course/Training for which help is requested e.g. course fees, accommodation, books or materials, additional expense which is recommended or expected. Please indicate estimated costs, and whether or not these are included in the course cost mentioned above.*
Please indicate the extent to which the costs above can be met by the applicant – e.g. through employment, part-time jobs, family contributions etc.*
Have you applied for help from any other charity or grant-making organisation? Have you received any help from any of these or other sources? Please provide details as appropriate.*
Have you previously applied to the Bridge Educational Trust for support and if so when?
If you have received previous support from the Bridge Educational Trust please provide feedback on how this has been of use to you and the progress made in your studies.
Personal/Financial Circumstances:
Please provide details of your present personal circumstances e.g. living at home or on own/with partner, number and ages of children or other dependants, other commitments, whether or not employed and, if so, in what capacity, reason for application, etc.
The Trustees give priority to cases involving hardship, or difficult family circumstances, where without some assistance the desired education or training would not be possible. To assist the Trustees in considering your application and reaching a decision please ensure that you detail any such circumstances which you feel apply in your case in the section above. You may also wish to include any other information not provided elsewhere, but which you consider to be relevant to your application.
Signed*
Full Name
In completing the signature box and submitting this application form you are providing explicit consent for the use of the personal information provided in the way described.
Date*
DD dash MM dash YYYY

Address for correspondence, if different from home address given above:
It would be helpful to know how you found out about the Trust. Please provide brief details, with internet address if appropriate
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Comments
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Can I apply if I am not a Dorset resident?

The Trustees support residents of the Piddle Valley primarily, and then consider those in the wider shire County of Dorset, excluding the South East Dorset conurbation (Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch etc)

“Many thanks indeed to both yourself and The Bridge Educational Trust for your help and financial assistance, which will undoubtedly give our son the opportunity to develop and flourish to his potential going forward. Without the Trust’s generosity, we would have most certainly struggled to meet these extra costs, so we both thank you most profusely.” JL 2020