Ernest Cook Trust grants
Ernest Cook Trust funds outdoor learning for children and young people, through a £500 Communities Grant, an Outdoor Essentials Grant for schools, and posts funded at up to £20,000 a year.
Guidance last checked 22 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Ernest Cook Trust builds its funding around getting children and young people outdoors. It runs several separate grants, each with its own rules. Its Communities Grant is an award of £500 to charities and non-profit organisations that support young people aged 11 to 19 years. That rises to 25 years old for special educational needs and disabilities. Its Outdoor Essentials Grant is open to any UK state-funded Ofsted registered primary, middle, secondary or special school, or the regional equivalent. It offers £500 to primary and special schools and a double award of 2 x £500, that is £1,000, to secondary schools. Priority there is given to schools with underserved pupils in areas of high deprivation. Its Outdoor Learning Leader Grant funds a post at up to £20,000 per leader, per year, for up to three years. That grant is for charities and non-profit organisations whose approach is to encourage young people aged 4 to 25 years to regularly enjoy the outdoors.
What they fund
These are the charitable purposes recorded for Ernest Cook Trust on the Charity Commission register. Its own published grants are all about outdoor learning for children and young people.
Who and where
Treat the register geography with care here. The Charity Commission entry lists Scotland and Northern Ireland and no English regions, while the trust's own schools guidance is open to any UK state-funded registered school.
Who they help
What Ernest Cook Trust says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“Priority will be given to schools with underserved pupils in areas of high deprivation”
Source: ernestcooktrust.org.uk — (PDF) Outdoor-Essentials-Grant-Info-only.pdf →
Who they say they'll fund
“charities and non-profit organisations that support young people aged 11-19 years (or up to 25 years old for Special Educational Needs & Disabilities)”
Source: ernestcooktrust.org.uk — (PDF) Communities-Grant-06.2026.pdf →
“charities and non-profit organisations whose approach is to encourage young people aged 4-25 years to regularly enjoy the outdoors”
Source: ernestcooktrust.org.uk — (PDF) OLLGrant-06.2026.pdf →
“Any UK state-funded Ofsted (or regional equivalent) registered primary, middle, secondary or special school”
Source: ernestcooktrust.org.uk — (PDF) Outdoor-Essentials-Grant-Info-only.pdf →
Grant sizes they mention
“Up to £20,000 per Outdoor Learning Leader, per year, for up to three years”
Source: ernestcooktrust.org.uk — (PDF) OLLGrant-06.2026.pdf →
“The Communities Grant is an award of £500 to charities and non-profit organisations”
Source: ernestcooktrust.org.uk — (PDF) Communities-Grant-06.2026.pdf →
“An award of £500 is offered to primary and special schools and a double award of 2 x £500 (£1,000) to secondary schools”
Source: ernestcooktrust.org.uk — (PDF) Outdoor-Essentials-Grant-Info-only.pdf →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
Such charitable educational purposes as the trustees may think fit
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Ernest Cook Trust give?
It depends which grant you apply for. The Communities Grant is an award of £500 to charities and non-profit organisations. The Outdoor Essentials Grant offers £500 to primary and special schools and a double award of 2 x £500, that is £1,000, to secondary schools. The Outdoor Learning Leader Grant is up to £20,000 per Outdoor Learning Leader, per year, for up to three years. We do not have a typical (median) award figure for this funder.
What does Ernest Cook Trust fund?
Its Charity Commission entry records its purpose as education and training, and its registered objects are such charitable educational purposes as the trustees may think fit. In practice its published grants are about outdoor learning. They support charities and non-profits that encourage young people aged 4 to 25 years to regularly enjoy the outdoors, fund an Outdoor Learning Leader post, and make small awards to state schools.
Who can apply?
It differs by grant. The Communities Grant is for charities and non-profit organisations that support young people aged 11 to 19 years, or up to 25 years old for special educational needs and disabilities. The Outdoor Learning Leader Grant is for charities and non-profit organisations employing an Outdoor Learning Leader for young people aged 4 to 25. The Outdoor Essentials Grant is for any UK state-funded Ofsted, or regional equivalent, registered primary, middle, secondary or special school.
Where does Ernest Cook Trust fund?
The two sources do not agree, so check before you apply. Its Charity Commission entry lists Scotland and Northern Ireland as the countries it operates in and records no English regions. Its own Outdoor Essentials guidance, by contrast, is open to any UK state-funded registered school. Confirm your area is covered before spending time on an application.
How do I apply to Ernest Cook Trust?
Each grant is described in its own published guidance document, and the rules differ between them, so start by identifying which grant fits your organisation. Check the funder's own website (www.ernestcooktrust.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1146629) for current guidance and open dates, as processes can change.
Is your charity a fit for Ernest Cook Trust?
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ernest Cook Trust.