Funding to Support Autistic Students in Mainstream Secondary Schools and Colleges
For all Secondary School SLT, SENCos, Autism Champions & Inclusion Leads
The EASA Team and SEYIS Team are pleased to share this information about grant funding from the Sheila Coates Foundation to develop support for autistic students in Secondary Schools.
If you and your school would like to apply, EASA would be happy to support your application and be involved in your project. Let us know!. EASA contact details are:
admin@enfieldasa.org.uk; tel: 07921 298440
Dear colleague
Applications open: two £5,000 themed funding rounds
Sheila Coates Foundation has launched two rapid impact fund rounds to support autistic students in mainstream secondary schools and colleges in England.
1. Rapid impact fund 11 - summer 2026: building autism-inclusive cultures.
Seeks creative, innovative projects that support autistic students and strengthens inclusive school/college culture. We are looking for applications that link individual or group impact with wider, sustainable change across a department or the whole school or college.
- More information about RIF 11 is here.
- The round is open for applications from 21 April until 13 May.
2. Rapid impact fund 12 - autumn 2026: tackling or preventing non-attendance.
We will fund creative projects that aim to impact identified individuals or groups to improve and maintain attendance at school or college so that they achieve well.
- More information about RIF 12 is here.
- This round is open for applications from 21 April until 14 July.
Both rounds are to support themed activities and initiatives that have been co-produced with autistic students (and where appropriate their parents and carers) and that can be put in place quickly. In previous funding rounds, 97% of schools report a positive impact after only 5 months.
Please see the information on the attached flyer if you feel you would be interested in this opportunity
Many thanks and best wishes
Lisa Knowles, Grants Manager
lisa.knowles@sheilacoates.foundation 0300 302 0104
Rachel Walker
Head of Service, Enfield Advisory Service for Autism