Frequently Asked Questions

We only accept applications from mainstream secondary schools or colleges in England.

Yes - as long as the provision is part of a mainstream secondary school or college.  We require beneficiaries (students who benefit from funding) to be on the roll of a mainstream secondary school or college that has a unique reference number (URN).

No. SCF funding is given to mainstream secondary schools or colleges. If you have an idea for an activity that encourages joint working or could support transition to secondary school then contact the secondary school concerned to see if they would be interested in submitting an application.

No. SCF funding is awarded to mainstream secondary schools or colleges only. If you have an idea for an activity that could support transition to mainstream secondary or college provision, then we recommend you contact the school or college concerned to see if they would be interested in submitting an application.

No. SCF funding is awarded to mainstream secondary schools or colleges only. If you have an idea for an activity that could support joint working or transition back to mainstream secondary school or college then we recommend you contact the mainstream school or college concerned to see if they would be interested in submitting an application.

No. SCF only provides funding to mainstream secondary schools or colleges. We recommend that you start a conversation with the people who teach you, and let them know about SCF. Share any ideas you have for things you know will really help you to learn or to feel happy and calm. We encourage schools and colleges to co-produce their applications with autistic students so you can really add value.

No. SCF only gives funding to mainstream secondary schools or colleges. We recommend that you get in touch with your young person's mainstream secondary school or college and let them know about SCF.  They might be interested in submitting an application.  Having you, a parent or carer on board, will add value to an application.

No. SCF only gives funding to mainstream secondary schools and colleges. If you have an idea for an activity and you work with mainstream secondary schools or colleges, get in touch with them to see if they would be interested in submitting an application when the next round is open. The application has to come from a mainstream secondary school or college. Working closely with local organisations will strengthen an application.

Yes. Previous recipients of funding are welcome to apply again. We are particularly interested in proposals that build on (but do not duplicate) previously funded activity, especially where there is evidence of impact and co-production. You should make these points clear in your application.

Only mainstream secondary schools or colleges can apply for funding. An Academy Trust or Multi-Academy Trust can support one of its mainstream secondary schools or colleges to apply, but the application must come from one single establishment. That establishment will be the grantee with whom SCF will have an agreement and on-going relationship.

Yes. We welcome proposals where mainstream secondary schools or colleges come together to collaborate. This will enhance any potential impact. However, you should identify a lead establishment who would submit the application, and with whom we would have a grant agreement. On your application form you can tell us about who you are working with.

The issues we have identified from our background research are happening now, and the challenges we want to tackle are very real. Many autistic young people need immediate support to help them manage successful engagement with learning. Because of this, we want to make funding available as soon as possible, and to fund short-term practical solutions.

SCF funds activities which are quick to put in place and can make an impact in just six months. This is one of the key criteria against which we will assess your application. However, we are keen that the activities we fund have longevity as well. Key for SCF is being sure that an impact can be made as quickly as possible. We will be asking schools and colleges to report on this six months after funded activity is underway.

No. SCF awards in our rapid impact fund are for £5,000. In previous rounds, schools and colleges have shown that with this amount of funding they can put in place activities that will really make a difference for autistic students, in a short space of time.As a result, we are offering fixed awards of £5,000.

If you are planning an activity which will cost more than £5,000 think about scaling it down, or just doing part of it. We want to fund activities which can be put in place quickly and have an impact as soon as possible. It may be possible to scale up the activity in the future.

If you are planning an activity which needs less funding than £5,000 think how you can enhance your idea. Can you fund staff time to make things happen more quickly? Can you purchase more resources so that more autistic students benefit? Ask your colleagues for ideas of how you can scale your idea up.

We are looking to fund activities that are creative, innovative and value for money. Read some examples of the wide range of activities we have funded in secondary schools and colleges.

SCF funds activities which enable autistic young people to thrive in mainstream education. It is essential that the activity you propose supports autistic young people. Sometimes, activities may include young people with other special educational needs and disabilities ​as well as​ autistic young people. Including other young people can be a strength if the aim is to facilitate inclusion. You need to make all of these things clear in your application.

It depends on the activity. SCF does not fund ​support or interventions which would be considered ‘statutory provision’. By this we mean activities that are or should be provided by the school or Local Authority as part of their agreed provision, particularly where a need has been assessed and there is a responsibility for a service to be provided.

In your application, make it clear how this is something that the school has developed in addition to ‘business as usual’. We’ll want to have evidence of impact, and we’ll want to see how this is innovative and creative - not just more of the same.

Most autistic young people attending mainstream secondary school or college have lessons across the school rather than in one resource base or department. In previous rapid impact rounds, we have been particularly pleased to see applications for initiatives which respond to this by looking at the whole school environment. 

Previous SCF funding has shown that activities which have actively been planned and delivered with autistic students has made a big impact.  Recognising autistic young people as experts in how they think, feel and act ensures that what is developed genuinely supports them.  See our scoring criteria for more information about how we assess the involvement of autistic young people in applications and proposed activities.

Consulting autistic young people in planning developments is always a good thing to do, but co-production goes beyond this. We are interested in funding initiatives where autistic young people have been actively involved in planning or delivery (or both). 

The activity could involve just one or two autistic young people, such as supporting students to plan and deliver a presentation for staff as part of a training initiative. Alternatively, it could involve autistic young people across the school such as a school-wide consultation or a planning group to plan and lead a whole school awareness-raising initiative - for example about sensory strategies to support mental health. These are just a couple of ideas. We look forward to receiving creative applications which are innovative.

We don’t want to replicate support or interventions that are, or should be provided by the school or Local Authority. We won’t fund the delivery of something which is part of the ordinarily available curriculum, or something which is identified in a young person’s education, health and care plan (EHCP). We also won’t fund applications where a statutory agency (such as a Local Authority or health service) has assessed a need and has a responsibility to fund but has failed to do so. We know that provision varies from place to place, and so we expect you to make it clear in your application how this is above and beyond what is provided by your provision or Local Authority.

Our mission is to advance the education and mental health of autistic young people in England.  From 2021 and 2023, our funding rounds were held regionally, covering all seven geographic regions of England.  Since 2024, we have run England-wide rounds.  As we continue to grow and strengthen our impact, we may explore opportunities to further extend our funding.  

The most important thing to remember is that we base our decisions on what you write in your application form. It is crucial to let us know what you are planning to do so use the character count wisely. Please check out the criteria against which we will judge your application. If you don’t write it, we won’t know it!

We’re looking for applications that are creative and are always on the look-out for something a little different. So, take your time to think carefully about what you want to do. Consult with your colleagues, involve autistic students, look at the evidence base. Read some examples of the wide range of activities we have funded in secondary schools and colleges.

Yes. Mainstream secondary schools and colleges are welcome to submit multiple applications. However, remember that completing a good application takes time. Consider the ​criteria​ against which we will judge applications.

We have made the application form short and simple, so we don’t anticipate any huge problems. Your first port of call should be colleagues who may help you to problem solve.

If you still have questions, you can get in touch by emailing us at enquire@sheilacoates.foundation.

After you submit your application you will receive an email confirming that we have received it. We will do a basic check to see if you have submitted all the information we need, and if you have applied for activity we are able to fund. We will then review your application against a set of criteria, taking into consideration all the information you have provided. We use a four point scale to rate how well the activity described in the application:

• supports the identified focus or focuses of the funding round (this changes with each fund released)
• is quick to implement and will show impact in 6 months
• is creative and innovative
• involves autistic young people in planning and delivery.

Read more about the four point scale here.

It is important to remember that in your application form it is crucial to let us know what you are planning to do. Please use the character count wisely. We base our decisions on what you write in your application form. You will need to score well against all of the criteria. Remember: If you don’t write it, we won’t know it!

Please be aware that SCF rapid impact funds are limited funds and we anticipate we will be oversubscribed. As a result some applications will be unsuccessful. You will be informed of the decision by email.

We want to get funding to schools as soon as possible. We aim to make decisions and notify you within six weeks of the application deadline.

No. This fund is for a very limited time, to meet a very specific need and so we will be sticking to the deadline. We will keep our website updated with any extensions to the rapid impact fund, or any further funding rounds.

Once you have been awarded funding, the school’s Headteacher or Principal will have to sign our Terms and Conditions and send in bank details so we can transfer money. We want you to get funding as soon as possible, and the sooner you send us information the sooner the funds will be released. This can happen quickly, providing we have the required information.

For rapid impact funds, we will transfer the full amount of your award at the beginning so that you can put in place the activity you have planned.

We have made the application and award process as simple and quick as possible. We are interested in hearing about the impact of our funding but don’t require a detailed report. At the end of the funding period, we expect you to complete a short online form which includes writing a statement about the difference SCF funding has made. We need this to enable us to understand how our charitable funds are being spent and so we can share and celebrate good practice.

SCF trustees or research partners may be interested in talking with some schools to see the impact of awards, and yours may be selected. We’ll give you plenty of notice and an idea of what to expect. The conversation will be low-key and will have a focus on SCF engaging with your work.

No. The SCF Board of Trustees make the final decision about how funding is allocated, and their decision is final. It is not possible to appeal against this decision.

We get a huge number of applications for funding, and the decisions made about how to allocate the amount of money we have to give can be difficult. We sometimes have to make hard decisions according to the amount available that we have to allocate.

Yes, you can reapply when the next round of funding is open.