Research grants

At the BSA, we offer two distinct opportunities through which individuals can apply for research funding: the BSA Foundation, which supports a wide range of educational initiatives, and the BSA Boarding Research Fellowship, which provides a unique chance to undertake in-depth study within the boarding sector.

Improving the lives of children and young people in residential educational settings by the funding of research

BSA Foundation

The BSA Foundation was launched in 2023 as part of the philanthropic commitment of the BSA Group to support educational practice in the UK and internationally. It is an independent charity which is being funded initially by the BSA Group.

Our core objectives are:

To support the advancement of education through the development of, amongst others, approaches to inclusion, safeguarding, community engagement and wellbeing, particularly in residential (boarding) settings for children and young people.
We aim to do this by providing grants to practitioners, researchers and beneficiaries of residential education in the UK and internationally.

The Founding Trustees are:

Dr Helen Wright, International Executive Search Consultant and Leadership Coach and former BSA Head
Mrs Wendy Griffiths, Chair, ISEB and Former BSA Head
Mr Martin Reader, Former Head of Cranleigh School
Mr Matthew Robinson, Deputy Director (Pastoral), Rougemont School
Mr Andrew Nott, Former Chair, IAPS and Former BSA Head

Boarding Research Fellowship

The BSA Boarding Research Fellowship, launched by the Boarding Schools’ Association in 2016, gives an experienced senior member of the boarding community the opportunity to undertake a unique research opportunity.

The successful applicant will visit a minimum of three boarding schools of their choice and will collate their data in a research project analysing the different schools and their boarding provision. You will also need to present your findings at our BSA Boarding Conference and in an BSA Magazine artical.

Typical grant amounts for BSA Foundation and Boarding Research Fellowship: £500 to £5,000 (maximum of £1,000 for Boarding Research Fellowship)
Application deadline for 2025 grants: December 2025

How to apply

Complete the below application form by December 2025. You don’t need to select a grant, if your application is successful, we will assign it to the most appropriate funding stream.

Possible areas of research

May include but are not limited to:

Improving and enhancing anti-racism, diversity, equality and inclusion education
Sexual consent education
The provision of mentoring, training and other assistance
Mental health in residential educational settings
The benefits of the provision of physical, educational, mental health and activities.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for a detailed, thoughtful proposal that will answer these questions:

What is the topic of your research?
How will you do your research? Give as much detail as possible, including the timelines for your research,
How will your research benefit the intended beneficiaries (and who are these, precisely)?
How much are you requesting, and how will you allocate and use the funds you receive?
How will you publish or disseminate your findings, in order to achieve public benefit?

Donate to the BSA Foundation

The BSA Foundation uses donations to improve the lives of children and young people in residential educational settings by the funding of research. 100% of donations goes towards providing grants to practitioners, researchers and beneficiaries of residential education in the UK and internationally.

Please click here to register your interest in donating to the BSA Foundation.