Antarctica is the birthplace of Climate Science: it is where humans first understood the impact we have on the world’s atmosphere. We discovered that Antarctica is like a barometer: what happens to the weather, ice and environment there, tells us what will happen to our whole planet. Antarctica really does matter to us all.

The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) preserves historic buildings and artefacts in Antarctica. They do this to help people discover, understand, value and protect the ground-breaking scientific research that has happened over the last century in this extraordinary place.

You can find out more about the Trust at https://www.ukaht.org/

The British Science Association (BSA) is partnering with UKAHT to help communities explore and celebrate Antarctica and its role in Climate Science through a new funding scheme.

About this scheme

We would like to open proposals for grants to members of its Community Engagement Network (CEN). Members can apply for £1000 to run an event or project between May 2025 and September 2025.

To be eligible for a grant, you must represent a community-based group or organisation that works directly with audiences who are traditionally under-represented and currently not engaged in science activity. Our definition of groups that are underrepresented in science includes:

• people identifying as being from minority ethnic backgrounds
• people living in communities which face multiple deprivation, including people disadvantaged in terms of education and income
• disabled people (people who identify as being disabled)
• people living in a remote and rural location, defined as settlements of less than 10,000 people.

Groups must run an event or project based on one of the following themes:

• Bringing Antarctica to life: UKAHT are custodians of incredible treasures and the stories of all those who lived and worked in Antarctica. Their challenge is to share these treasures with those who may never have the opportunity to experience them firsthand.

• Hidden heroes of Antarctic exploration: Every successful Antarctic explorer or scientist relies on a dedicated team of individuals working behind the scenes. Let's celebrate the contributions of these unsung heroes and share their stories.

• Antarctica's impact on our world: Antarctica may seem like a distant and isolated continent, but it plays a vital role in the global climate system, ocean currents, and biodiversity. Understanding Antarctica and its connection to our lives is crucial for our future.

Developing your project idea

As community leaders, we recognise that you know your communities best. We therefore encourage you to design activities that best respond to your community’s particular needs and interests. The BSA Community Engagement Team are on hand to support you in developing your ideas.

For inspiration, you can find out more about the history of scientific research in Antarctica on the UKAHT website: https://www.ukaht.org/heritage/.

Listen to UKAHT’s Voyage to Antarctica podcast here

Example topics to research include:

• Research the background of the historic huts, each of which had a particular role. What was daily life like when they were operational. Why were the huts important?
• Research and share the stories of lesser-known individuals who have made significant contributions to Antarctic exploration, research, or conservation.
• The future of climate research in Antarctica and how it impacts the rest of the world.
• The Antarctic treaty system is a unique way of governing a place that no one owns. How could this help us around the world and perhaps in our future explorations outside our planet’s atmosphere?

What can the grant money be spent on?

The grants can be used for:  

• materials 
• room hire  
• audio-visual hire 
• publicity 
• reasonable volunteer expenses 
• speakers, trainers and freelancers 
• project-specific staff costs (salaries or fees for people who are essential to the project and whose salaries aren’t already covered by another grant) 
• transport or other costs of activities/events. 

The majority of grant money cannot be spent on refreshments or project-specific staff costs.  

Grant money cannot be spent on: 

• large competition prizes 
• large non-consumable equipment (e.g. microscopes, computers, cameras) 
• on-going salary costs 
• costs that are already covered by other funding 
• general running costs and overheads that are paid for by other income. 

What will be asked for in your application?

You will be asked to provide the following information in your application:

• a description of your organisation (200 words maximum)
• who you are going to work with for this event/project (150 words maximum)
• a general description of the event or activities (300 words maximum). This does not need to be a complete, fully formed plan, but an overall idea of what form the activities will take and how they will run.
• which theme your event will fall under: 1) Bringing Antarctica to life, (2) Hidden heroes of Antarctic exploration, or (3) Antarctica's impact on our world.
• a description of the impact your activities will have on those taking part, including how it will help communities to discover, understand, value and protect Antarctica
• proposed event date(s). All activities must be completed by 30 September 2025.
• a rough budget outline (in bullet points) of costs associated with your activities and how the grant money will be used
• details of the bank account into which the grant will be paid at the time of applying for the grant, including the account name, number and sort code. The grant must be paid into a UK based bank or building society account which has the same name as that of your organisation, and the account name on the application form must match the bank account name exactly.
• please note that successful applicants will be required to engage with the evaluation and monitoring process for this grant, which will include: an evaluation form, an impact interview, and providing us with photos , quotes and other impact information (with consent). We will collect this information to demonstrate the impact that this grant can have, and support us to create future funding opportunities that help bring underrepresented communities closer to science.

To find out more about the BSA’s community engagement work, please see: Community Engagement | British Science Association

Financial information is stored on a secure cloud-based service and will only be used to pay successful grant applicants. Unused details will be deleted. Providing your account details at this stage allows us to pay successful grant applicants immediately, making it easier to organise events.

Please note, if the bank details supplied in your application are incorrect, this will significantly delay the payment of your grant and may result in the grant being withdrawn. Please ensure that you have the correct bank account details before applying.

Deadlines and payments

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 7 March 2025. 

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email early April 2025. If successful, payment of the grant will be made directly into a nominated bank account. Payments will be made by mid-April 2025, in advance of project commencement in May 2025. All projects must be complete by September 2025.

How to apply

All applications should be made online via the application form here.

APPLY NOW

When completing the application form, please ensure that all email addresses, telephone numbers and bank account details given are correct. Any mistakes in these will delay payment of the grant. As we will communicate with you primarily by email, please ensure you give an email address that is checked regularly by the person who applies for the grant.

We understand that this type of activity planning may be a new experience or different to your usual work.

If so, do not hesitate to contact the BSA’s Community Engagement team if you have any questions regarding the application procedure or what type of activity might be suitable for your audience. Please email [email protected]

Terms and conditions of the funding

1. By submitting an application to the British Science Association, the organisation named in the application (referred to as ‘you’ in these Terms and Conditions) agrees, if awarded a grant, to:  

1.1 hold the grant on trust for the British Science Association (referred to as ‘we’ or ‘us’) and use it only for your event/activity as described in your application or otherwise agreed with us, and only for expenditure incurred after the date of the grant award;   

1.2 hold your event/activity between May 2025 and September 2025. If for whatever reason you are not able to run your events/activities during this time, the grant money will have to be returned to the British Science Association. For these reasons, you will have contingency plans in case of illness or unforeseen circumstances;  

1.3 complete an organiser feedback survey (provided by the British Science Association); a grant evaluation form, engage in our impact interview and submit qualitative and quantitative evidence about the impact of your work;

1.4 distribute a short feedback form (provided by the British Science Association) to your event/activity participants and return the completed forms to the British Science Association head office after the event/activity;  

1.5 act lawfully in carrying out your event/activity, in accordance with best practice and guidance from your regulators, and follow any guidelines issued by us about the event/activity or use of the grant;   

1.6 correctly acknowledge the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and the British Science Association in any press releases or marketing material. Please contact the British Science Association for additional information.    

1.7 use the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust logo on any marketing materials produced, either in print or online. The logo will be provided by the British Science Association;  

1.8 hold the grant in a UK based bank or building society account which has the same name as that of your organisation;  

1.9 immediately return any part of the grant that is not used for your event/activity or constitutes unlawful state aid;   

1.10 where your event/activity involves working with children, young people or vulnerable adults, adopt and implement an appropriate written safeguarding policy, obtain written consent from legal carers or guardians and carry out background checks for all employees, volunteers, trustees or contractors as required by law;   

1.11 comply with data protection laws and obtain the consent of your beneficiaries for us and you to receive and process their personal information and contact them;   

1.12 keep accurate and comprehensive records about your event/activity both during the event/activity and for seven years afterwards and provide us on request with copies of those records and evidence of expenditure of the grant, such as original receipts and bank statements;   

1.13 allow us reasonable access to your premises and systems to inspect event/activity and grant records;  

1.14 the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and the British Science Association publicising and sharing information about you and your event/activity including your name and images of event/activities. You hereby grant us a royalty free license to reproduce and publish any event/activity information you give us. You will let us know when you provide the information if you don’t have permission for us to use it in this way.   

2. You acknowledge that we are entitled to suspend or terminate the grant and/or require you to repay all or any of the grant in any of the following situations. You must let us know if any of these situations have occurred or are likely to occur:  

2.1 you use the grant in any way other than as approved by us or fail to comply with any of these Terms and Conditions.   

2.2 you fail to complete the feedback forms or your activity/event differs greatly to that outlined in your application.  

2.3 you have match funding for the project withdrawn or receive duplicate funding for the same project costs as funded by the grant.   

2.4 you provide us with false or misleading information either on application or after award of the grant, act dishonestly or are under investigation by us, a regulatory body or the police, or if we consider for any other reason that public funds are at risk or you do anything to bring the British Science Association or the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust into disrepute.   

2.5 you enter into, or in our view are likely to enter into, administration, liquidation, receivership or dissolution.  

3. You acknowledge that:  

3.1 the grant is for your use only and we may require you to pay us a share of any proceeds from disposal of assets purchased or enhanced with the grant;   

3.2 we will not increase the grant if you spend more than the agreed budget;   

3.3 if the provided bank account details including account name, account number and sort code, are incorrect, your grant payment may be significantly delayed, or your grant offer may be withdrawn;  

3.4 the grant is not consideration for any taxable supply for VAT purposes;   

3.5 we have no liability for any costs or consequences incurred by you or third parties that arise directly or indirectly from the project, nor from nonpayment or withdrawal of the grant, save to the extent required by law;   

3.6 the British Science Association will not be held responsible or liable for any consequences, whether direct or indirect to any loss or damage, personal or otherwise, injury or death however arising in grant-funded events and activities. Grant recipients are responsible for taking out any public liability or other insurance necessary to cover the activities.  

3.7 these Terms and Conditions will continue to apply for one year after the grant is paid or until the project has been completed, whichever is later. Clauses 1.6, 1.7, 1.9, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 3.5 and 3.6 shall survive expiry of these Terms and Conditions; and   

3.8 if the application and grant award are made electronically, the agreement between us shall be deemed to be in writing and your online acceptance of these Terms and Conditions shall be deemed to be a signature of that agreement.  

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If you have any questions or require any assistance, please get in touch at [email protected].