Our British Science Festival 2026 Community Grants for community organisations based in and around Southampton will open soon. Watch this space
Each year, the British Science Association offers seed grants to community organisations based and around in the city hosting the Festival. We prioritise community organisations that work directly with audiences who are traditionally underrepresented and currently not engaged in science. We want to empower and support community groups to run their own activities as part of the British Science Festival, enabling new local audiences to engage with science.
If you have any questions about this year’s grants scheme, please get in touch with the British Science Festival team, at [email protected]
If you are part of a community group or organisation, you might also be interested in joining the BSA Community Engagement Network. Find out more here.
2026 Grant Guidelines
The full guidelines for this year’s Community Grants will be available once applications open in spring 2026.
The British Science Festival, coordinated by the British Science Association (BSA), is Europe’s longest-standing national event which connects people with scientists, engineers, technologists and social scientists. Thousands of people come together to celebrate the latest developments in science and to engage in open discussion about issues that affect our culture and society.
This year the Festival will take place in Southampton from 16 – 20 September 2026, hosted by the University of Southampton.
What type of event/activity could you run?
This grant scheme aims to empower and support community groups to run activities that demonstrate the relevance of science to the lives’ of their audiences. We recognise the expertise of community leaders in working with their local audiences. We are therefore keen to hear what activities you think would work best for engaging your audiences with science.
If you are stuck for inspiration, you can read case studies from the British Science Festival 2023 Community Grant recipients. In addition, here are a few examples of previously funded events to demonstrate the range of activities that we support:
- Workshops exploring the fascinating world of mosses and discovering the vital roles that they play in responding to the climate and ecological emergencies
- Workshops exploring heart and brain health in dementia prevention through science talks, shared cooking, and creative group activities with women from ethnic minority backgrounds
- Activity sessions exploring the science of remote sensing archaeology through the history of their local area
- Sensory play programmes for new parents and carers with babies from birth to first steps, blending science with rhythm, music, and movement to explore early brain development, bonding, and learning through play
- Workshops hacking toys to create unique musical instruments and sound generators, whilst learning about electrical circuits and how sound is generated electronically
- The first ever Exeter Tomato Festival, promoting tomato diversity and demonstrating the seed saving and the fermentation process that is part of saving tomato seeds, whilst highlighting the science of taste, and encouraging people to grow-their-own.