Educational Visits and Learning Experiences Grant FAQ

You may apply for up to two EDVLE grants per scheme per calendar year.

Applications can be submitted at any time during the calendar year, but applications should be received by us 21 days prior to the trip to give us time to review them. We need this amount of time to allow for any follow-up questions. The sooner, the better!

1. Log into the JPF Community Area
2. On the right-hand side, click “Click here to apply for grants”
3. Confirm all trip details, including:
   • Date of trip
   • Full cost breakdown
   • Educational and learning benefit of the trip
4. You will be notified within 21 days if your trip has been approved or rejected, or if we have any follow up questions. Please do not book your trip or make any payments until you receive a grant offer letter from us
5. Go on the trip and support your young people to share what they’ve learnt afterwards
6. Complete the report and provide the receipts within 7 days of the trip in your report found under “Due Requirements” in the Community Area
7. The Jack Petchey Foundation will check the report and receipts. Once approved, we will arrange to make the grant payment to your organisation. Please note we can only reimburse you for expenditure we approved in our grant offer letter and with a complete set of valid receipts

The Educational Visits and Learning Experiences Grant (EDVLE) can contribute towards:

• Travel and transport costs (e.g. coach hire, minibus hire, public transport)

• Tickets and entry fees (e.g. admission to museums, tickets for theatres and exhibitions, participation fees for activity centres and sports-competitions, hire fee for expert-led experiences)

• Accommodation costs (e.g. camping fees, residential accommodation)

For SEND, PRU and Alternative Provisions:

• Delivery of on‑site workshops or experiences delivered by external activity providers, expert speakers or specialists

While the EDVLE Grant supports a wide range of enriching learning experiences, there are some costs the grant will not fund. These include:

• Food and refreshments
• Annual memberships or subscriptions (e.g., club or league fees)
• Theme parks or fun, recreational trips that do not offer significant learning value (e.g., bowling, go karting, ice skating)
• Activities without a developmental or educational benefit
• Staff salaries or general running costs already incurred by your organisation
• Adult costs to participate – above and beyond 2 adult attendees

There is no requirement for a direct curriculum link. Our EDVLE is designed to support a broad range of enriching opportunities, not just academic or curriculum‑based ones.

Unfortunately, theme parks are not eligible under this grant, as they are considered recreational – even if there is a STEM workshop included in the trip (yes, we know they exist!). We encourage you to plan a visit with a stronger learning focus to meet the grant criteria.

If you would like to take a group to a theme park, you may be able to use Achievement Award Scheme funds or the Leader Award Grant to support these trips.

Your organisation may still apply but must cover any additional costs beyond the EDVLE grant allowance.

If fewer young people attend the trip than originally planned, the Jack Petchey Foundation may adjust the grant amount in line with the per person limits (£20 per head for mainstream, or up to £60 per head for SEND/PRU/Alternative Provision if you have demonstrated the additional costs you are incurring).

We aim to ensure our funding accurately reflects the number of young people who benefited from the experience. However, if you have had to book and pay for all the approved places in advance and a few young people aren’t able to attend on the day (e.g. sickness, anxiety) we may consider funding the full number of places approved in your grant offer letter.

If you think your participant numbers may change, we recommend contacting your Grants Officer in advance so we can advise on how this might affect your final payment.

Applications are processed by the Grants team as quickly as possible. However, you must apply at least 21 days before your trip takes place to allow enough time for assessment, to ask any follow-up questions, and a decision.

We recommend submitting your application well in advance of your planned visit, especially during busy periods or if you need to confirm bookings early. The sooner the better!

After your trip has taken place, you will need to submit a trip report within seven days. Once your report has been reviewed and all receipts have been approved, we will arrange your grant payment. We aim to reimburse you within 14 days of the report being approved.

Unfortunately, you cannot change the trip and receive our funding without our prior approval. If your plans change, please contact the Grants Officer immediately. Please always get in touch should there be a change.

The grant can support the trip costs of up to two accompanying adults, funded at the same rate as a young person. This is up to £20 per person for mainstream organisations, or up to £60 per person for SEN/PRU organisations. This is for the same type of costs (e.g. tickets, travel, accommodation). Please contribution is not to pay for staff salaries.

Example: This means that if 20 young people attend a trip and there are 2 accompanying adults, the grant may cover the equivalent cost of 22 people in total. For a mainstream organisation, this would mean our maximum grant offer would be £440 for a total of 22 people to attend this trip.

No, unfortunately not. We appreciate that lots of schools and youth organisations support young people with additional needs. However, to be eligible for our enhanced grant award (up to £60 per young person), the organisation must have applied to the Jack Petchey Foundation as a registered SEND, PRU or Alternative Provision working exclusively with SEND/PRU young people when they joined the Achievement Award Scheme. If you believe we do not have your organisation correctly classified or if your organisation has changed since you joined the scheme, please contact your Grants Officer to discuss this.

No, unfortunately not. This grant is only intended to support local, regional or UK based trips. You may wish to consider using our Achievement Award or Leader Award Grant for international trips.

Yes, theatre trips are now likely to be approved! Previously, we required a curriculum connection for theatre visits e.g. taking a group of young people who were studying Macbeth to see it. Because of this we used to reject applications for non-curriculum shows, such as MJ the Musical or Matilda. However, Sir Jack personally loved the theatre and felt having the opportunity to attend a West End or show in your local theatre was an important cultural experience for all young people (and adults!), so we have updated the eligibility, and all applications for theatre experiences will now be considered. We also recognise there are many brilliant careers in the theatre industry – lighting, sound, orchestra, costume, song writing – which young people could benefit from seeing in action. Please provide as much detail as possible, including the name of the show, location, date of the trip and which young people you’re taking.

No, unfortunately not. It’s great you have been able to secure support for your trip. However, this grant cannot be used to pay for costs beyond tickets, travel and accommodation. So, we’d encourage you to plan an extra trip!

Yes, we have updated the grant to include paying for the costs of expert instructors or for young people to enter one-day or one-off competitions for your specific sport, so they have the opportunity to learn something new, overcome a personal challenge, develop as a team, or benefit from a new teacher or instructor (e.g. swimming galas, rowing galas, martial arts weekend courses). However, these must take place off-site – you cannot use this funding to bring this event to your premises. Please note we will not fund regular league fees or memberships.

Yes, we will consider paying the fee for this experience. However, these need to be expert-led where you are paying for a qualified instructor, professional expert, or specialist to lead this activity. The trip must also take place off-site in a fit-for-purpose environment (indoor or outdoor).

Important: You cannot use the grant to pay for your existing staff or volunteers to run this activity. Please include full details of the expert/person or experience in your application including a website link where available. We may request to see a pre-prepared quote from an individual provider.

Please note SEND, PRU or Alternative Provision may be able to bring this activity to your premises if your young people cannot travel.

Yes, we will consider paying the fee for this experience. However, these need to be expert-led where you are paying for an external specialist to lead this activity. The workshop or experience must also take place off-site in a suitable environment (indoor or outdoor).

Important: You cannot use the grant to pay for your existing staff or volunteers to run this activity. Please include full details of the expert/person or experience in your application including a website link where available. We may request to see a pre-prepared quote from an individual provider.

Please note SEND, PRU or Alternative Provision may be able to bring this activity to your premises if your young people cannot travel.