Funding to Make the Chemical Sciences More Inclusive & Diverse (UK)26th February 2026

The Inclusion and Diversity Fund will re-open for applications on 2 March 2026, offering new funding to support projects that advance equity and inclusion in the chemical sciences.

Delivered by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the fund provides grants of up to £5,000 for innovative activities, research, and community-led initiatives that address barriers to participation and progression in chemistry. In exceptional circumstances, one larger award above £5,000 may be made.

Applications are open to RSC members worldwide and to non-members based in the UK or Republic of Ireland. Individuals and organisations may apply, including member groups, researchers in academia or industry, schools, museums, community organisations, not-for-profit groups, arts organisations, and libraries.

Supported projects must directly tackle inclusion and diversity challenges within the chemical sciences. Eligible activities may include evidence-based research, pilot interventions, development of inclusive resources, or programmes designed to improve representation, accessibility, retention, and career progression. The fund does not support general chemistry research, standard outreach without a clear diversity focus, commercial activity, or routine equipment and staffing costs.

The application round will close in April 2026, with funding decisions expected by June 2026.

Previous recipients of funding have included projects related to gender, disability, socio-economic background, language, race and ethnicity, the LGBT+ community and more. 

School-focused and education-related projects that used funding from this fund to broaden participation and make chemistry more accessible. Examples include initiatives that engage high school students through classroom chemistry demonstrations and activities that highlight minorities in chemistry to raise awareness among students. Other funded work brought students from schools with additional needs into hands-on science days with experiments tailored to support engagement and learning.

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Past Projects

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