Community-first engagement at the British Science Festival 2021 

The British Science Festival 2021 Community Grant Programme applications have now closed.

We offered £500 grants to Chelmsford-based community groups to hold science engagement events from 7 – 11 September 2021.  

We believe local community organisations should be able to engage with the Festival – and science – on their own terms and in their own space. This is why we offer £500 grants for community groups working directly with audiences who are traditionally under-represented and currently not engaged in science activity in our host city to hold their own events during the British Science Festival.  

These events were created by and for these communities on topics that mattered most to them, and the results are meaningful, impactful events that will make a difference to the communities who participate. Here are some examples of projects we have funded in previous years. 

During the 2019 British Science Festival held in Coventry, we partnered with Coventry Men’s Shed. Many members of Coventry Men’s Shed face mental health problems plus social isolation and this community organisation provided a place for men to support each other and socialise. They ran a series of cooking classes during the British Science Festival where the group learned about healthy cooking and eating which resulted in a delicious vegetarian korma.  

Ayriss Recovery Coventry also joined the British Science Festival Community Grant Programme in 2019. This outreach service supports people experiencing drug and alcohol addiction problems. During the Festival, they ran a workshop for their service users on what effects depressants and stimulants have on their bodies, how to care for their veins and what happens to the body during an overdose.  

West Indian Heritage Community Action supports members of the African-Caribbean community in Coventry through social, cultural and community activities. For the 2019 Festival, they held a workshop about the exciting world of numbers for their young people aged 16+, to encourage them to think about numbers more creatively.   

We can’t wait to see what local Chelmsford community groups will do!  

If you work with a Chelmsford community group, please read the full guidelines and apply by visiting https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/british-science-festival-community-grants.  

The deadline to apply for the 2021 British Science Festival Community Grants is Monday 14 June at 17.00. 

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].