The Institute of Physics (IOP) provides grants of between £500 and £4,000 to individuals and organisation in the UK and Ireland for physics-based projects that improve the relationship with physics of young people and their influencers, including their parents and carers.
The funding is for not-for-profit projects that are free to access and aim to:
- Improve people’s relationship with physics.
- Meaningfully engage with whole-family groups.
- Reach at least one of the IOP target audiences who are currently underrepresented or underserved in the physics community.
IOP is specifically trying to reach families with young people under the age of 16 years who identify with one or more of the following:
- Girls and young women
- Disabled young people
- LGBT+ young people
- Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Black Caribbean young people
There is no list of what might be covered under expenses, resources or accommodation. As the scheme is aimed at reaching underserved groups, IOP wants to make sure groups can fund the things they need to make their project work. As long as an expense can be justified, it will be considered.
A maximum of 50% of the grant can be allocated to:
- Staff costs associated with the project, including any freelance costs.
- Equipment costs, unless there is a proven legacy of continued family engagement.
There are two funding rounds per year. Applications for round two are currently open for projects which start in 2025 and are completed by 30 June 2026.
The deadline for applications is 1 September 2025 (17:00).