The National Express Foundation was established to tackle the issues facing young people living in inner-city areas and support the wider community in which National Express operates.
The Foundation has two programmes with separate guidelines for each:
For each programme, funding is only available for work taking place in the West Midlands or Kent.
Registered charities, community interest companies, and constituted community organisations are eligible to apply to the under the Community programme. The Foundation looks to fund community groups that are delivering positive, developmental and engaging activities for 10 or more young people aged 15-24. They also state in their guidelines that they prefer projects where the Foundation will be the sole funder of the work. Community Groups need to apply for a specific amount of money – £2,500, £5,000, £10,000, or £20,000.
Under the Educational programme, Universities and Colleges can apply for funding to assist more students to advance their education by providing bursary support for disadvantaged individuals. Educational Institutions must apply for £10,000 per year but can apply for multiple years of funding.
To assist more students from the communities Nation Express serves to advance their education, the Foundation offers funding to educational institutions which they can use to provide bursary support for disadvantaged individuals.
National Express Foundation is open to applications at different times of the year so check their website for deadlines and guidelines.
Applications to the fund are made by application form that should be completed and emailed to foundation@nationalexpress.com.
Given the COVID-19 situation, the Foundation has postponed its 2020 funding programme and will be developing a revised funding programme to run in 2021.
