Small grants for big ideas in religion and worldviews education
Do you have a big idea for a religion and worldviews project?
Culham St Gabriel’s is celebrating its 15th anniversary year in 2027, so we’ve teamed up with the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) to make £15,000 available in small grants for projects across the UK.
Designed for and by teachers, this one-off fund aims to support new ideas and shared learning in religion and worldviews education*.
Apply now
You can apply for a grant of £2,500 to develop, test or explore an idea. We’re looking for projects that respond to a real need, explore effective practice, or generate learning that can be shared with others. Applications are now open and will close on Thursday 5th November at 5pm.
Shortlisted projects will be showcased online, giving the wider community the opportunity to vote for the ideas they would most like to see funded. Successful projects will be announced at Strictly RE 2027 at the end of January.
Applications are welcome from schools, groups of schools, and organisations working to support religion and worldviews education in schools.
* What do we mean by “religion and worldviews education”?
In this fund, religion and worldviews education refers to the curriculum subject taught in schools and other educational settings across the UK. Depending on where you are based, this may be known as RE (Religious Education), RVE (Religion, Values and Ethics), RME (Religious and Moral Education), or a similar curriculum area.
Criteria
To be eligible for funding, projects must:
✅ Address a clear need or opportunity
✅ Have the potential to make a meaningful impact
✅ Involve school teachers in the design and delivery of the project
✅ Create learning, resources or approaches that can be shared with others
We’d particularly encourage projects that:
- Explore the diversity of religious and non-religious traditions and communities
- Use place-based approaches and engage with lived experience
- Support high-quality religion and worldviews education for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- Involve collaboration between schools, organisations and communities
What sort of project can I apply for?
We’re looking for projects that help improve religion and worldviews education and generate learning that can be shared with others.
Your project might:
- Pilot a new approach in your school or educational setting
- Explore effective classroom practice
- Develop resources that others could use
- Bring schools, organisations or communities together
- Generate research or insights that could benefit the wider RE community
There is no single “right” type of project. We’re interested in ideas that address a genuine need and have the potential to make a meaningful difference.
Who can apply?
Applications are welcome from:
- Schools
- Groups of schools, eg. MATs, federations or local groups
- Educational organisations
- Charities
- Partnerships and collaborations
Projects must focus on religion and worldviews education in the UK and involve school teachers in the design and delivery.
How much can I apply for?
All successful projects will receive a fixed grant of £2,500
Six projects will be funded through this one-off fund.
How it works
Complete a short application form telling us about your project idea. We’ll ask about:
- The need or opportunity you’re responding to
- The difference you hope to make
- How teachers will be involved
- Your plans for delivering the project
- What you will spend the funding on
A teacher-led panel from NATRE Executive will review applications and select a shortlist of projects.
Shortlisted projects will be published online and opened up to voting by the wider community throughout December 2026 and January 2027. The projects with the highest number of votes will receive funding.
Successful projects will be announced at Strictly RE Conference 2027 at the end of January, and will be published online.
Key dates
📅 Applications close: 5th November 2026
📅 Shortlisting: November 2026
📅 Community voting: December 2026 to January 2027
📅 Grant awards announced: Strictly RE 2027
Never applied for a grant before?
You don’t need any previous experience of applying for funding. We’ve tried to keep the application process straightforward and easy to complete, with guidance along the way.
We’re keen to hear from people with good ideas, whether or not they’ve applied for funding before.
Not sure where to start? Join our short webinar on Wednesday 7th October at 4pm-5pm, where we’ll introduce the fund, talk through the application process, and answer your questions. Sign up here:
If you’d like to talk through an idea before applying, we’d be happy to hear from you.
Can we can apply from anywhere in the UK?
Yes. We welcome applications from all regions of the UK, including Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We are not able to accept applications outside of the UK.
Do I need to be a NATRE member to apply?
No. You do not need to be a NATRE member to apply.
Do I need to be a teacher to apply?
You do not need to be a teacher to apply, but projects must directly involve school teachers in the design and delivery.
Can more than one school apply together?
Yes. We welcome collaborative applications involving multiple schools, organisations or partners.
What can I spend the grant on?
The grant can be used for costs that are directly related to delivering your project. This might include resources, materials, travel, venue hire, specialist support, research costs, or staff cover where appropriate. You’ll be asked to provide a simple budget as part of your application.
How many projects will be funded?
We expect to award around six grants of £2,500.
What happens after I apply?
A teacher-led panel from NATRE Executive will review all eligible applications and select a shortlist of projects.
If your project is shortlisted, we’ll contact you with further information about the voting stage. We may also ask you to provide additional information to help showcase your idea, such as a short summary or image.
We expect to receive more applications than we can take forward. If your project isn’t shortlisted, this doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t a strong idea.
How does the community voting work?
After the shortlisting stage, shortlisted projects will be published online. Members of the wider community will then be invited to vote for the projects they would most like to see funded.
Voting is open to anyone, including teachers, school leaders, advisers, academics, parents, pupils and members of local communities.
At both the shortlisting and voting stages, personal information will be removed and projects will be anonymised wherever possible.
How long will projects have to run?
Successful projects will be announced at the Strictly RE Conference in January 2027. Projects should be completed by the end of the 2027-28 academic year.
Will I need to report back?
Yes. We’ll ask grant holders to submit a short end-of-project report explaining what they did, what they learned, and the difference the project made. We may also invite you to share resources, findings or reflections so that others can benefit from the learning generated through your project.
I have an idea but I’m not sure if it’s a good fit. Can I talk to someone?
We’d be happy to discuss your idea before you apply. Please contact our Grants, Governance and Partnerships Manager, Julia Minnear by emailing julia@cstg.org.uk
You can also join our webinar on Thursday 1st October 2026 at 4pm to find out more about the fund and application process.
The closing date for applications is 5th November 2026 at 5.00pm.
