Sheila Coates Foundation’s Rapid Impact Fund Opens for Applications

The Sheila Coates Foundation offers around 100 fixed grants of £5,000 each to mainstream secondary schools and colleges across England to support initiatives and activities that have been co-produced with autistic students and that can be put in place quickly.

The funding is intended to put activity in place, over and above that which is statutorily required, to enhance the life chances of autistic young people.

Activities should be creative, innovative and offer value for money and be put in place quickly and have an impact as soon as possible.

The focus for this round is on creative and innovative activities that enable autistic students to excel and achieve, flourish and succeed school or college.

The funding can be used:

• To purchase or commission things to help autistic students
• For ‘implementation support’
• For places and spaces, by which is meant ‘safe’ indoor or outdoor spaces that can be developed or refurbished to help autistic students during unstructured or structured time.

To be eligible applicants must:

• Be a mainstream secondary school or college in England, and
• Work with young people with autism who are on the roll of a mainstream secondary school or college.

Proposals where secondary schools or colleges come together to collaborate are welcome.

Previous recipients of funding may apply, particularly if their proposals build on (but do not duplicate) previously funded activity, especially where there is evidence of impact and co-production.

The deadline for applications is 19 May 2025.

Further details can be found here: Giving opportunities to young people with autism