Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund Program 2026

📖 About the Program

The Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund is designed to support innovative outreach and public engagement projects that connect people with chemical sciences in meaningful, inclusive, and accessible ways.

The fund aims to:

• Strengthen the relationship between chemistry and society.
• Support activities that encourage dialogue, collaboration, and shared learning.
• Demonstrate how chemistry relates to everyday life while valuing the experiences and perspectives of communities engaging with science.

🎁 Benefits

Applications should clearly show how the funds will be spent and provide justification for spending. Key considerations include:

• Budgets must align with projected project reach (geographical and audience numbers) and impact.
• High costs must be justified in terms of audience reach, audience needs, and/or impact.
• Activities with high costs but low reach and/or impact will not be awarded a grant.
• Activities with high costs may still be considered if the impact is demonstrably high and costs are justified based on the needs of the specific audience.

✅ Requirements

Applicants/applications to the Outreach Fund must:

• Be aged 18 and over.
• Be a UK or Republic of Ireland (ROI) resident (with a UK or ROI address and bank account) or apply on behalf of an organization registered in the UK or ROI.
• Not resubmit an unsuccessful Outreach Fund application unless invited to do so.
• Submit applications in line with the specified deadlines for consideration in a particular funding round. Late submissions may still be considered but will not be reviewed until after the next submission deadline.
• Have a significant aspect related to the chemical sciences.

📝 Application Date and Process

Applicants should follow a structured approach when preparing their application:

1. Define a clear engagement goal that aligns with the Outreach Fund’s objectives.
2. Identify the target audience and explain why the project is relevant and accessible to them.
3. Design the engagement activities, including delivery methods, locations, timelines, and practitioner roles.
4. Prepare a realistic budget aligned with either the Small Grant or Large Grant category.
5. Submit the complete application by the published deadline, ensuring all required information is provided.

📅 Application Deadline

02 October, 2026

🌐 Application Portal

• View details of the Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund Program here.
• Apply for the program here.

• Budgets must be considered with respect to projected project reach (geographical and audience numbers) and impact
• High costs must be justified in terms of audience reach, audience needs and/or impact
• Activities that have a high cost for a comparatively low reach and/or impact will not be awarded a grant
• Activity that has a high cost (regardless of reach) will be considered if the impact is demonstrably high and costs justified in terms of the needs of the specific audience