Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund Opens

A new fund has been launched to spark fresh ways to engage young people in entrepreneurship.
The Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund offers public and private sector organisations grants of up to £250,000 to deliver new and innovative courses and projects to under-18s to encourage more young people, from a wide range of backgrounds, to choose business ownership as a career path.

The Fund is part of Scottish Government work to establish a world-class entrepreneurial nation and deliver on the recommendations of the independent Pathways review that highlighted the importance of education to widening participation in entrepreneurship to all.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy Kate Forbes said: “Entrepreneurship is key to a productive and growing economy. Tapping into a more diverse talent pool to drive the creation and growth of new businesses is an ethical and economic imperative.

“Scotland has the potential to be one of Europe’s fastest-growing start-up economies: an economy that is strong, successful and dynamic. The Scottish Government will continue to play its part to make this a reality, which starts with establishing a culture that encourages, promotes and celebrates entrepreneurial learning from an early age.

“We want every young person to have the opportunity to experience entrepreneurial learning and this funding will help offer the next generation of business founders new and exciting ways to take the first crucial steps on their entrepreneurial journey.”

The Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund is open for applications until 9 September 2024.

Eligibility
The fund is open to:
- any organisation registered or head office in the UK, although projects must be delivered in Scotland only

Your organisation must:
- be solvent
- hold a UK bank account
- have control over income expenditure
- provide a hard copy, pdf, or web link to most recent Annual Financial Accounts
- meet the Scottish Government's Fair Work First criteria
- have robust safeguarding policies and procedures in place to protect vulnerable adults and children
- meet the Scottish Government's children’s rights awareness criteria

Ineligible costs
Successful applicants will receive a grant letter with details of ineligible costs. Please note Value Added Tax (VAT) cannot be claimed by the grantee. Nor will any employment costs arising from the Grantee’s legal obligations to its employees, for example parental leave, sick leave or redundancy.

What you can apply for
The Scottish Government Entrepreneurial Education Pathways Fund will provide funding for projects from £30,000 to £250,000. However, projects above this may be considered on an exceptional basis.
In the application form, you will be asked to provide a detailed breakdown of all project costs, as well as details of any funding you are seeking from additional sources.
Any funding granted will not be applicable for costs incurred prior to the award.
Any funding allocated must be spent by end March 2025.

Funding criteria
The project must be delivered from September 2024 and your application will be assessed against the following key criteria:

Entrepreneurial education
Projects must demonstrate ability to deliver learning on entrepreneurship, an entrepreneurial mindset or the development of meta skills associated with entrepreneurship. Projects must aim to reach young people aged 18 or under. This may be delivered through projects delivered in schools, education establishments or via other appropriate locations.

Alignment with Curriculum for Excellence (where appropriate)
Where projects/programmes will be delivered in school settings and/or by teachers, applications must demonstrate how they fit within the curriculum for excellence. Projects must explain how they will meet the attributes and capabilities of the four capacities of the curriculum. Any programme that is to be delivered by teachers must also explain what resources will be made available, what support teachers/educators will be provided with throughout the project’s delivery and what impact the programme will have on the teachers workload.

Advance greater inclusion, equality and diversity
Applications should demonstrate how the project will advance greater inclusion, equality and diversity. This should include encouraging entrepreneurial talent from people in groups under-represented.

Support for wider Scottish Government priorities
Applications should support wider Scottish Government priorities, such as:
- promoting a wellbeing economy
- community wealth building
- supporting fair work principles
- reducing poverty

Community involvement
Applications should demonstrate the clear demand for the project amongst the people it would serve, or evidence of the impact the project may have. The project should evidence how this is responsive to community and ecosystem needs.

Working in partnership
Applications should demonstrate how their organisation and project sits within Scotland’s entrepreneurial support landscape. We would welcome applications that show collaboration between partners. The projects should clearly demonstrate a demand for the product or service.

What funding can be used for
Funding will be available to projects that offer entrepreneurial education as per the criteria explained previously. Projects might include (but are not limited to):

- developing educational resources on entrepreneurial skills
- delivery of project-based entrepreneurial learning
- providing access to entrepreneurial mentors and role models
- building of partnerships between business and the entrepreneurial eco-system
- developing entrepreneurial skills or associated meta skills
- supporting teacher CPD in entrepreneurial learning and/or facilitating the sharing of such learning

What funding cannot be used for:
- core running costs
- repaying existing debts or loans
- activity already undertaken prior to the awarding of the grant

Find out more and apply here