For students & unions

Funding for student-led research, with independence built in

If you run a student think tank or work in a students' union, here is who can apply, how the process works, and the promises we make about your independence.

Who can apply

Eligibility at a glance

We fund through registered students' unions on behalf of the student think tanks they host. Both need to meet a short set of criteria.

The student think tank

  • A registered society or group affiliated with a registered students' union at a UK university or HE institution.
  • Its primary purpose is producing and publishing research — policy research, briefs, data analysis or reports with recommendations.
  • Its research is publicly available, non-partisan and analytically balanced, on matters of public concern.
  • Membership is open to the wider student body on a transparent, merit-based basis, in line with the union's EDI policies.

The students' union

  • A registered charity in the UK (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI), or an exempt charity under the Charities Act 2011.
  • Has appropriate internal financial controls and can hold and manage restricted funds in line with charity law.
  • Willing to enter a formal Funding Agreement with the Trust, which guarantees the think tank's operational independence.
  • Willing to pay Training Access Bursaries to the students the Trust confirms as eligible, and to confirm a student's enrolment or award on request with the student's consent.
  • Willing to report on how Trust funds were held and paid; the Trust records training attendance and completion itself.

How to apply

Becoming a Chapter: six stages

A Chapter is a think tank for which we have signed a Funding Agreement with its students' union. Chapter status is what allows bursaries to be paid, so it is the route for a think tank that wants its members on the Training Programme. A think tank that only wants a grant for a specific activity does not need it and can apply for a Think Tank Grant directly. Anyone can propose a think tank; every proposal goes through the same stages and is decided on the same criteria.

  1. Expression of Interest (think tank)

    The think tank tells us about its activities, membership, governance and published research, and which kinds of support it is interested in. Submitted online.

  2. Chapter Application (students' union)

    The union confirms its charitable status, that it will hold Trust funds as restricted funds and pay the students we confirm as eligible, that it will confirm enrolment on request with the student's consent, and that it will sign the Funding Agreement.

  3. Eligibility and due diligence

    We verify the union's charitable status, review the think tank's published research for public availability and balance, screen against the UK sanctions list, and collate any conflicts of interest.

  4. Trustees' decision

    The trustees decide whether to designate the think tank as a Chapter and the first year's grants, each against the published criteria in the Grant-Making Policy. Reasons are recorded and shared.

  5. Funding Agreement (Chapter designation)

    A written agreement between the Trust and the students' union with schedules covering bursary criteria and rates, the Training Programme the Trust delivers, any Think Tank Grant, and data sharing. No money moves before it is signed.

  6. First bursary round

    Students apply to the Trust's two-person Bursary Assessment Panel against our published financial-need criteria. The Trust sends the union the list of eligible students and their rates, funds reach the union's restricted account, and the union pays the bursaries.

For students

Training Access Bursaries

The Training Programme is free. The bursary covers the cost of taking part — time you would otherwise spend in paid work, travel, materials, care — for students whose finances would otherwise get in the way.

  • One criterion is enough. If none of the listed criteria applies, you can explain your circumstances in a short written statement.
  • Fixed rates. A Standard Rate and a Priority Rate for students in the greatest need, published each year. Nothing is negotiated individually.
  • Only training counts. You must enrol, attend at least three-quarters of the sessions and remain a registered student while it runs. The bursary never depends on what you write or publish.
  • A small panel assesses it. You apply on a short form with proof of enrolment and, for some criteria, one document each. Two people at the Trust assess it: the Partnerships and Chapters Director, who checks, and a trustee, who decides. Neither of them knows you. Your evidence is kept in a restricted folder, never shown to donors or your committee, and deleted after a year.

Our promise to you

We fund your work — we never direct it

The Trust is explicitly committed to your operational independence. We do not direct or restrict your editorial content, research agenda or conclusions. Your research is yours.

  • 30-day consultation Any change to bursary criteria, rates or conditions comes only after at least 30 days' prior written consultation with your committee.
  • Good-faith negotiation Raise substantive objections and we commit to a written response and genuine negotiation — never a change without consultation, unless the law or the Charity Commission requires it.
  • No donor influence No donor may preview or shape your research, and we never tell you who funds us — so your work is produced blind to its funders.

Think your society could be a fit?

Start with the online Expression of Interest and we will approach your union with you.

Start an Expression of Interest See what we fund