Community and Charity Grant

What difference could you make with £500?

Are you:

• An IMechE Young Member?
• Passionate about engineering?
• Running or hosting an engineering-related event?
• Championing a technology that contributes a solution for poverty, food waste, energy deficit, sustainability or other engineering issues?
• Contributing to a cause which promotes and supports engineering heritage?
• Undertaking any other engineering-related activity?

The Young Members Board (YMB) Charity Grant supports young engineers from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) pursuing charitable causes that are engineering related. It can be used to support planned or existing activities and events to promoting engineering as a career through to implementing technologies to help those in societies in the UK and abroad.

The grant can be used to fund any resources you require, including travel, venue hire and materials. Just fill in the online application form and let u know how we can help you make a difference. In return we ask that you work with us to promote and report on your activity. By working together we aim to raise the profile of engineering and the Institution through our support of Young Member charitable activities. You will also be asked to deliver a presentation to the Young Members Board on what you have achieved with the grant.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain funding for a worthwhile engineering project, whilst offering you additional routes through which to promote the charitable cause you are helping. Apply now for a chance to see your project funded! 

How to apply

Just fill in and submit an application form:

• Application form
• Application form, guidance and FAQs (pdf) .

Do I have to be professionally registered to apply for this fund?

No, all that is required is that you are a member of the Institution. Professional registration is not required. The fund is open to all young members. 

How is a Young Member defined?

The Institution considers a young member to be any Affiliate, Associate or Member who has become professionally registered within the last ten years.

What can I use the money for?

The money is for funding engineers to enable you to do great things as part of a charitable or community  activity or event. For instance, it can could pay towards travel, venue hire or materials required. However, as the Institution is a charity itself - and therefore it is not permitted for us to fund another charity - the funds will be issued in the form of a cheque paid directly to you.

Can I request funding before I have purchased items for my charitable project?

Yes. As we are able to fund both existing projects and planned projects, we can (in special circumstances) provide funding prior to the purchase of the items required. Please complete question 8 in the application to explain why the funding is needed upfront.

When is the deadline?

Applications are ongoing. Each year four grants will be awarded in three monthly intervals.

When will I receive a response to my application?

We aim to respond to applicants within 21 days of receipt of their application.

When will I receive the funding, if my application is successful?

The Charity Grant will be awarded within 7 days of approval of your application. We will ask for evidence of expenditure to be submitted to us in all cases, be it for items already purchased or items you plan to purchase.

Will I be expected to do anything else after I have received a grant?

If your project is ultimately funded, the Institution will ask you to promote the support you have received via social media, blogs and other local media, such as newspapers. Alongside any receipts for expenditure of the grant, you will also be asked for a written report and any photos you have of the project so that we can feature your achievement in the quarterly Young Member newsletter. Finally, we will also ask you to deliver a presentation to the Young Members Board to showcase what you have achieved with the grant.

I have another question that is not answered here. Who can I contact?

If you have any other queries, please email charitygrants@imeche.org or Tel +44 (0)20 7379 1252.