At Millennium Point we believe that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is instrumental to the future. “STEM” accounts for a large breadth of industries in the UK and is one of the key factors to economic growth and prosperity. For example, the construction industry contributes £90bn alone.
Outside of economy, STEM provides vital services and mechanisms which improve quality of life, improve sustainability by shrinking human environmental impact, and provide innovations that help us flourish as a species.
However, these advances are being stifled by numerable issues plaguing STEM industries – chiefly of those in a STEM skills shortage, and STEM education poverty which is having a serious impact on young people, their futures, and the future of the UK as a whole.
Read more below as we look more into the impact of STEM education, and five reasons why investing in it creates the foundations for success for young people’s futures.
Better Education around STEM opportunities increases ambitions for young people
An impact report from STEM Learning surveyed (what age group or key stage level were they?) on their aspirations. Before ambassadors visited, 80% of the young people wanted to be YouTubers, Vets, Footballers, or Gamers. STEM Ambassadors then showed them bigger global projects and found they then wanted to pursue a wider breadth of careers in STEM.
Many commented that they suddenly had their horizons broadened and started to consider different careers in STEM.
STEM Education + STEM Industries = Economic Growth
The Royal Academy of Engineering found that engineering alone accounts for 25% of gross value added for the UK economy. It goes on to say manufactured goods account for 50% of UK exports. In whole STEM underpins the whole economy.
STEM industries are rapidly expanding and with that comes the need for more skilled workers. Currently there is a skills gap costing the UK economy £1.5bn. Investment in STEM education and support for pathways will increase appetite in STEM industries – providing more skilled workers to fulfil the jobs required to reduce this deficit.
Better Education will reduce the STEM gender gap
According to WISE, a mere 24% of the current STEM workforce are women. Additionally, only 8% of women progress to a level 4+ STEM qualification. This means there is a huge pool of potential talent which is currently being overlooked.
More investment in STEM education will reduce the gender gap and go a long way to shrinking the STEM skills shortage in the UK.
Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organisation working to close the gender gap in technology by teaching girls computer science, bravery, and sisterhood. Alumni are choosing to major in computer science or related fields at a rate 15 times the national average. Their research shows if they continue, they can close the gender gap in in new entry-level tech jobs by 2030.
More diversity, more people, more innovation
It has often been pointed out that there is a strong correlation between diversity and innovation.
According to STEMWomen, research has proved that when underrepresented groups have access to inspiring role models, they are more likely to feel like they belong.
In an article published by The Royal Society, a study found that only 18.7% of academic staff in STEM were from ethnic minority groups, with only 1.7% being black.
More diversity can be achieved by improving STEM education to underprivileged and underrepresented groups. This not only encourages more welcoming conditions for these groups but will start a chain reaction for attracting future talent, by creating role models out of those who have achieved before them.
Similarly, to the gender gap, this will bring a wider talent pool to STEM industries – and an exponential increase in chances for innovation.
Accessible education, expanding possibilities
Education Hub made the point of in the past that STEM subjects have been harder for children and young people to access, particularly among girls, minority ethnic groups and students from low-income and disadvantages backgrounds.
However, it looks to be changing as between 2010 and 2020, the number of women accepted into full-time STEM undergraduate courses increased by 49%. The rate also increased for 18-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds by 79%. The results suggest that young people are benefiting from increased support in these subjects, with potential barriers to access based on gender, race, or class gradually being lifted.
More investment in STEM education will go a long way to continuing this positive trend.
How the Millennium Point Trust STEM Grants has helped education
Since 2018, the Millennium Point Trust STEM Grants has provided over 120 projects with funding. From Lego cars to a night under the stars, we have seen some amazing things achieved with STEM.
Over the past five years, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has awarded over £2 million to charities, not-for-profits, community groups and schools to further STEM education. The Millennium Point Charitable Trust has previously seen the rewarding outcome of past projects such as the Science Area at Ark Tindal Primary and Sensational Science at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The latest round of funding in 2021 saw a wide range of successful applications – from a proposal to build a fully operational light aircraft, STEM training toolkits for schools and a car engineering workshop for girls
The next round of applications for the 2022 grant are now open and close at 5pm on Friday 17th December 2021, to apply just simply download the application form from the website.
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust has announced it has reached a landmark £30m in STEM support to organisations across the West Midlands over the last seven years – including £4.98m in the last financial year alone.
Opened in 2001, Millennium Point is a landmark public building in the Eastside of Birmingham city centre. Inside, it is home to 17 versatile event spaces including a 354-capacity Auditorium, meeting rooms and offices, and tenants, including ThinkTank and Birmingham City University (BCU).
Commercial activity that takes place in the Millennium Point building feeds back into the Millennium Point Charitable Trust. This enables the charity to donate to, invest in, and facilitate STEM-related projects, events and initiatives in the West Midlands. This has included over £2.7m in STEM grants to schools, not-for-profits and charities in Greater Birmingham and the Wider West Midlands.
In addition, the trust funds £16,650 in STEM degree scholarships annually, in partnership with Birmingham City University. To date, scholarships have totalled over £83,000.
Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point said: “Promoting STEM education across the region is what we do – increasing the opportunities for the next generation via some of the most exciting career paths available.
“As a meeting and events space, the last 18 months has been incredibly challenging, but it’s fantastic that we have continued throughout to contribute to the West Midlands’ myriad of exciting STEM projects and initiatives.”
The trust has also announced an extension to the deadline for applications to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust STEM Grants Programme 2022, which is now 5pm on Friday December 17th.
Paul Hughes, Schools Manager at the Aston Villa Foundation, commented: “The STEM grant we received from the Millennium Point Trust funded our innovative STEM Stars project, which has allowed us to add a new dimension to our provision and provide children, teachers and schools the opportunity to embark on their STEM education journey helping to develop skills of the future and make a real difference.’’
With STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) funding grants of up to £20,000 available, the trust has moved the deadline to give more organisations time to apply for money that can often be life-changing for young people and their future careers.
The latest round of funding in 2021 saw a wide range of successful, creative STEM projects – from a proposal to build a fully operational light aircraft to STEM training toolkits for schools.
Abbie Vlahakis added: “Every year we are impressed and inspired by the applications we receive for our small grants programme, and this year has been no exception – and I’d urge any organisation looking to fund an exciting STEM project in 2022 that there’s still time for their idea to be considered.”
To apply for a grant, please click here.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
STEM Grants application deadline is now extended until Friday 17th December 2021. For more information or to apply please click here.
Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. We have funded many different projects across all areas of STEM, supporting learning development for young students.
Here is another great example of the type of work we do, this project was funded in 2019 and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.
Who are Birmingham Botanical Gardens?
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a 15-acre botanical garden situated in Edgbaston, and one of the most popular attractions for families in the region. There is plenty on offer for visitors with outdoor events including film screenings and performances, along with access to four stunning glasshouses, a playground, tea room and garden gift shop.
Why did they apply for a Millennium Point Grant?
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens reached out to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to help support it’s Sensational Science project. They wanted to address a ongoing issue where primary schools lack the resources and skills to provide laboratory style and specialist science learning experiences for young people. Sensational Science is a new, original interactive education workshop designed to enable school children to investigate plant DNA and undertake scientific experiments into the science behind plants in a laboratory-style session at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
The aim of the project is to inspire and generate more interest around Science, while developing young peoples skillsets and implementing more science and STEM subjects at school.
Sensational Science impacts 1,000 pupils
The results of the project have been fantastic with KS1 and KS2 primary school pupils benefitting from practical experience of scientific investigation. The project is being led by an award-winning education team, with 35 sessions taking place, covering 1000 pupils, many from deprived and marginalised backgrounds.
The project demonstrates the practical application of STEM within a green space which elevates their knowledge of STEM in a fun and imaginative way.
Botanical Gardens “thrilled” with the outcome of the project
Our STEM Grants team caught up with The Botanical Gardens and they couldn’t of been any happier with the outcome of the project. They commented:
“We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded a small grant from Millennium Point Trust. As a direct result of this grant, we can deliver an exciting programme of bespoke workshops enabling school children to investigate plant DNA and undertake scientific experiments into the science behind plants in a laboratory-style workshop at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
The funding will enable us to deliver a minimum of 35 workshops during the year 2019/20, and provide opportunities for up to 1,000 primary school children from Birmingham and West Midlands schools to ‘work scientifically’.
We are especially delighted that this grant will help support the prohibitive costs of travel for up to 20 of our most deprived local schools, a cost we know to be a barrier to some of our closest inner-city schools. With your support, we are able to provide the additional benefit to schools of being able to access the Gardens in general -where they can stay for as long as they choose!
We would like to put on record our thanks to Millennium Point Trust for their support for our work and their hugely important commitment to developing the STEM agenda in this region.”
About educational grant funding from Millennium Point
Educators, Charities and Not-for-Profits within the West Midlands Combined Authority can apply for up to £20,000 from Millennium Point to fund their STEM activity.
The STEM Grants application deadline is now extended until Friday 17th December 2021. For more information or to apply please click here.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Applications for our Charitable Trust STEM Grants programme close in just under a month!
Our small grants are available from £1,000 to £20,000 to individual applicants to support science technology, engineering & maths (STEM) education in Birmingham and in the wider region. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 17th December 2021, meaning you have got just under a month to apply. You can apply here.
We want everyone to have the best chance of success. That’s why we have put some helpful tips below.
A good plan is half the work done
To get started, complete the form that can be easily downloaded from our website. Have a read through all the sections and start to complete them in as much detail as you can as this will help us when our team begin to shortlist applications.
Clearly plan what the aims of the project and how those aims will be achieved. Don’t forget to include details on how the success of the project will be measured. This is where using ‘SMART’ objectives will be useful –
Make sure your application is detailed with what activities will take place, when, and where they will be carried out will also help chances of being successful. Have a look through your budget plan and ensure it contained the correct pricing and quantities for everything you need achieve your project.
When talking about your project look at the link between the project and the selected category choice. Make sure the connection is clear to show why you’re doing the project and how it will benefit your chosen group. Also plan about the duration of the project, will it be throughout the year, or could the project be done in a day? Can the project be repeated with the resources bought, or is it a one-off project?
For extra help the guidance and F&Qs pages will help you with your application, you can always contact our friendly Trust team too [email protected].
Submitting your application for grants
Have a read through your final application, ensure that it’s clear, precise and explains all about the exciting project you have planned.
After you have decided you’re happy with your application, submit it to us by email – [email protected]. Make sure you send it on or before the 17th December 2021. We prefer applications to be submitted by email, good luck!
What happens next?
Once it’s sent over, our fantastic Trust team will send you an email acknowledging receipt, you won’t hear from us again until a decision has been made. All applications will be read through by the small grants team and then moderated by a separate panel. It will finally be presented to our Trustees who will make the final decision on the successful applicants. At this stage you don’t have to do anything but wait for the good news!
Our grants help make STEM happen!
Over the past five years, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has awarded over £2 million to charities, not-for-profits, community groups and schools to further STEM education. Millennium Point Charitable Trust has previously seen the rewarding outcome of past projects such as the Science Area at Ark Tindal Primary and Sensational Science at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The latest round of funding in 2021 saw a wide range of successful applications – from a proposal to build a fully operational light aircraft, STEM training toolkits for schools and a car engineering workshop for girls.
Last year Millennium Point Trust saw 70 applications from not-for-profit organisations in aim of receiving a share of the grant money.
Apply Now
With less than a month till the deadline, there is still time to apply for a Millennium Point Charitable Trust small grant.
Applications for our Charitable Trust STEM Grants programme close in just under a month!
Have a STEM project plan that needs funding? Our small grants are available from £1,000 to £20,000 to individual applicants to support science, technology, engineering & maths (STEM) education in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 3rd December 2021, meaning you have got just under a month to apply.
You can apply here.
Endless possibilities with STEM
Over the past five years, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has awarded over £2 million to charities, not-for-profits, community groups and schools to further STEM education. Millennium Point Charitable Trust has previously seen the rewarding outcome of past projects such as the science area at Ark Tindal Primary and Sensational Science at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The latest round of funding in 2021 saw a wide range of successful applications – from a proposal to build a fully operational light aircraft, STEM training toolkits for schools and a car engineering workshop for girls.
Last year Millennium Point saw 70 applications from not-for-profit organisations in aim of receiving a share of the grant money.
Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point said. “Along with our hugely popular degree scholarship, the Small Grants Programme is why we do what we do. To promote STEM education across the region and increase the opportunities for the next generation via some of the most exciting career paths available.
“Every year the quality and volume of applications that the Millennium Point Charitable Trust receives is fantastic. I have no doubt that will be the case again – I can’t wait to see them.”
Read more about our fantastic case studies here.
Book with Millennium Point and help support the future of STEM
Everything Millennium Point Charitable Trust achieves is made possible by the commercial activity that takes place in our landmark building. It all feeds back into the charitable trust, enabling it to donate and invest in STEM-related organisations, projects, and initiatives.
When booking events with Millennium Point you are widening your CSR and supporting the local region. Find out how and more about our 17 unique event spaces here.
Champion STEM with a grant from Millennium Point
At Millennium Point we believe that STEM is important for the future of the region. We are excited to see what this year’s applications bring.
The next round of applications for the 2022 grant are now open and close at 5pm on 3rd December 2021.
If you need any help, you can always contact our friendly team who will be happy to assist here.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. We have funded many different projects across all areas of STEM supporting learning development for young students.
Here is another great example of the type of work we do and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.
Who is Ark Tindal Primary?
Ark Tindal is a KS2 and 2 primary school for children aged 3-11 in Balsall Heath, Birmingham. They are part of the Ark Schools Network following transition in 2021.
Why did they apply for a Millennium Point grants?
The primary school had a disused outdoor space and wanted to enhance their STEM curriculum by transforming it. The area would support biology sessions of different topics from identifying plants to studying bug habitats and pond dipping.
The updated space would allow students to plan different types of scientific methods and processes to answer questions.. The science area would have a renewable zone where the children can learn about the environment.
What impact has the project made?
With the help of the grant the science area has enhanced the key learning in KS1 and 2 STEM subjects. Using the creative space students can see the practical applications of what they learn in the classroom.
Aesthetically, it gives the school a vibrant outdoor green space for students to explore. Ark Tindal students are also given the chance to learn the importance of sustainability and the environment around them. Some students wouldn’t have access to this type of space otherwise.
Ark Tindal Primary were ‘delighted’
Ark Tindal Primary said ‘We are delighted to have been awarded the Millennium Point Charitable Trust grant, as it will enable us to enrich the lives of our pupils through our vision of a STEM is driven learning environment. Over time, we envisage this benefitting the community as a whole and not just pupils attending our school. Throughout our curriculum, which is tailored to our pupils and their life experiences both now and in the future, we want them to understand that renewable energy and energy conservation is becoming increasingly important in everyday life as fossil fuel reserves start to wane. Through our science garden, we will entrench knowledge and appreciation of sustainable living in our pupils from an early age.’
Grants are now open!
Educators, Charities and Not-for-Profits within the West Midlands Combined Authority can apply for up to £20,000 from Millennium Point to fund their STEM activity. Over the past five years, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has awarded over £2 million to charities, not-for-profits, community groups and schools to further STEM education.
Applications for the STEM Grant Programme are now open and set to close at 5pm on 3rd December 2021. You can apply on our website here.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
New £70m restoration project revealed by STEAMhouse, boosting STEAM prospects in Eastside Birmingham.
STEAMhouse who currently operate from our multi award-winning venue at Millennium Point, have released updates for their new £70m restoration project. The listed Belmont Works had it’s scaffolding removed for the first time since development work began in February 2020, edging closer to the full opening next year.
STEAM prospects in Eastside boosted
The new development is a winner for Birmingham Eastside, offering more opportunities within STEAM in the region. Once completed, STEMhouse will serve as a home for businesses, academics and creative partners to work alongside each other on several areas including business ideas, concepts, creations and technical disciplines.
New home for School of Computing and Digital Technology
Part of STEAMhouse’s new project will unveil a new home for Birmingham City University’s School of Computing and Digital Technology. BCU deputy vice-chancellor Julian Beer said: “Reaching this milestone is not just a real landmark for the development of our STEAMhouse project but also for the changing landscape of our city’s Eastside.
“It is a credit to all that, despite the complexity of the project and the challenges presented by the covid-19 pandemic, that all partners involved in the project have been able to make such significant progress.
“As the region enters its recovery from the impact of the last 18 months, projects like STEAMhouse are essential to ensuring we provide a platform for new business, the creation of jobs and the generation of growth.”
STEAMhouse to open it’s doors in time for 2022/23 academic year
STEAMhouse will officially open it’s doors in 2022, welcoming businesses and students that are seeking opportunities to work on industry projects. These projects will boost innovation by combining technical science, technology, engineering and maths, with a form of art added to boost STEAM learning.
How Millennium Point supports education in the region
Our charitable trust is passionate about creating new opportunities within STEM for young people. As part of our trust program we run two annual campaigns to help shape young peoples futures.
Our grants scheme supports and contributes more than 5 million back into the West Midlands region through STEM related projects and events. This helps support deprived areas where many young people are missing out on the learning needed to boost their career prospects.
Below shows an example of the type of projects we fund.
STEM grant applications now open
Applications for the Millennium Point Charitable Trust STEM Grant Programme is now open! Grants from £1,000 to £20,000 can be made available to individual applicants ensuring the right resources can be supplied to support students. To apply simply click the button below.
WIN a fully funded degree
We also fully fund an undergraduate degree each year in partnership with Birmingham City University. Our Scholarship program begins with an application process, with the lucky finalists being selected for a chance to win a FREE degree. Each finalist presents a solution using STEM to a current ongoing issue, in front of a panel of STEM experts. Below is a video showing this year’s winner, Asima Adnan’s story. Asima began her fully funded degree in September.
Apply for the 2022 Scholarship
For more information on how to apply or get involved in the 2022 Scholarship program please click here.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Applications for Millennium Point Charitable Trust STEM Grant Programme is now open!
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is once again preparing itself for a huge influx of applications, with the launch of its Small Grants Programme 2022. Grants from £1,000 to £20,000 can be made available to individual applicants ensuring the right resources can be supplied to support students.
Applications for the STEM Grant Programme are now open and set to close at 5pm on 3rd December 2021.
Endless possibilities with STEM
Over the past five years, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has awarded over £2 million to charities, not-for-profits, community groups and schools to further STEM education. Millennium Point Charitable Trust has previously seen the rewarding outcome of past projects such as the Science Area at Ark Tindal Primary and Sensational Science at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The latest round of funding in 2021 saw a wide range of successful applications – from a proposal to build a fully operational light aircraft, STEM training toolkits for schools and a car engineering workshop for girls.
Last year Millennium Point Trust saw 70 applications from not-for-profit organisations in aim of receiving a share of the grant money.
Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point said: “Along with our hugely popular degree scholarship, the Small Grants Programme is why we do what we do – to promote STEM education across the region and increase the opportunities for the next generation via some of the most exciting career paths available.
“Every year the quality and volume of applications that the Millennium Point Charitable Trust receives is fantastic, and I’ve no doubt that will be the case again – I can’t wait to see them.”
Landmark Venue, Landlord, and Charity
All funding given by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust is made possible by the commercial activity that takes place in the 46,450 sqm landmark Millennium Point building. It all feeds back into the charitable trust, enabling it to donate and invest in Stem-related organisations, projects, and initiatives.
When booking events with Millennium Point you are widening your CSR and supporting the local region. Find out how and more about our unique event spaces here.
Apply for a grant today and support the future of STEM
At Millennium Point we believe that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is important for the future of the region, so we are excited to see what this year’s applications bring.
The next round of applications for the 2022 grant are now open and close at 5pm on 3rd December 2021.
You can apply for a grant on our refurbished website here – if you need any help look at our frequently asked questions page here.
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. We have funded many different projects across all areas of STEM, supporting learning development for young students.
Here is another great example of the type of work we do, this project was funded in 2020 and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.
Who are Aston Villa Foundation?
The Aston Villa Foundation is a registered charity that delivers the community and social responsibility work of Aston Villa Football Club. With a mission of ‘Working Together to Enrich Lives’, the foundation and its partners work with people from a variety of backgrounds in Birmingham as well as supporting the wider ‘Aston Villa family’ through schools, football in the community, disability, health and wellbeing, education, interventions and community relations.
Why did they apply for a Millennium Point Grant?
The Aston Villa Foundation reached out to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to help support it’s STEM Stars: Science Through Football project. The project will be developed across six schools, all within a three-mile radius of Villa Park. The funding will be used to purchase a Sphero robot package (which includes robots and a small pitch) that uses football to engage young people in coding. The students will learn and use specific lines of code to operate a moving ball on the pitch, recreating Aston Villa goals from the Premier League season.
The video below showcases this process in action on our Platform event space.
What impact has the project made?
The project has so far been a huge success, impacting a cluster of schools within the Aston area. It gives children the perfect opportunity to fully engage in computer science, in a fun way that keeps them interested to learn new skillsets. The grant provided by Millennium Point has allowed these schools to run these activities, which otherwise wouldn’t of been able to due to a lack of funding and resources.
Aston Villa Foundation using football to unlock new learning potential
The Aston Villa Foundation have been hugely pleased with the results and potential of the project. They caught up with us for a chat and said: “The funding will allow us to be innovative with our provision in schools and make a difference within the local community by equipping the next generations with potential skill sets of the future and looking positively ahead in an ever-evolving technological world.
It will provide us with a further opportunity to have a positive impact on children and schools, by enriching their curriculums through this unique programme to experience, learn and develop through STEM, with the power of football and the club as a key instigator to unlocking learning potential.”
Want to get your school involved?
The Aston Villa Foundation will be targeting schools in it’s local community around Villa Park, these areas include Erdington, Ladywood and Perry Barr. For more information please email Paul Hughes by clicking below.
About educational grant funding from Millennium Point
Educators, Charities and Not-for-Profits within the West Midlands Combined Authority can apply for up to £20,000 from Millennium Point to fund their STEM activity. For more information on how to access this funding please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. We have funded many different projects across all areas of STEM, supporting learning development for young students.
Here is another great example of the type of work we do, this project was funded in 2019 and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.
Who are Wolves Play Café?
Wolves Play Café are a not-for-profit organisation, that support young children and their parents and caregivers in Wolverhampton.
Why did they apply for a Millennium Point Grant?
A major challenge facing many families in the Whitmore Reans, St Peter’s Ward in inner-city Wolverhampton area, is having few opportunities to explore local attractions or paid experiences. There is a lack of accessible science activities for 0-5 children in this area of the city outside of school and pre-school for parents and caregivers, to interact with their children without price, time and location barriers.
Wolves Play Café reached out to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to fund a project called “The World Around Us”, which aims to deliver ten 2 hour science play sessions in term-time from September 2019 to July 2020 for under 5s and their caregivers in Wolverhampton.
What impact has the project made?
With the help of the grant, the project has gone from strength to strength, impacting over 80 children and 50 parents/caregivers in Wolverhampton. The turnout for each session was overwhelmingly positive with each one fully booked. Over 70% of attendees also made a request to return for additional sessions.
Feedback from the project revealed that parents saw an increase in interest from children in STEM related subjects following the sessions. This long term investment has allowed for many young children to kickstart their future, learning key skills that will be pivotal for many years to come.
The Play Café were “thrilled”
Wolves Play Café couldn’t hide their delight at the results of the play sessions and said: “We are thrilled to receive our grant from Millennium Point Charitable Trust. This has enabled Wolves Play Café to access and engage with 100 under 5s across 10 and 75 caregivers across 10 ‘The World Around Us’ play sessions.”
“The project, with the help of this grant, has created opportunities for very young children to develop their STEM learning from an early age, by delivering ten sessions across 10 months but the resources and planning used to deliver them will be a long-term investment in STEM in the region as it provides the organisation with the opportunity to repeat the sessions and their proposed impacts following the initial programme.”
“Under 5s will have opportunities to develop curiosity in the world around us’, to develop basic problem-solving and experiment skills and develop a basic knowledge of natural science. Furthermore, parents and caregivers of under 5s will have an opportunity to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, increasing their wellbeing. By parents and caregivers also being part of the sessions, there will be an opportunity to build science capital in both children and adult audiences, again supporting the regional STEM provision in the West Midlands.”
Want to play?
Wolves Play Café believe that children develop and learn best through play and first-hand experiences. If your interested in getting your child involved you can book by clicking the button below. All sessions are planned with Covid-19 guidelines in mind to help keep everyone safe.
About educational grant funding from Millennium Point
Educators, Charities and Not-for-Profits within the West Midlands Combined Authority can apply for up to £20,000 from Millennium Point to fund their STEM activity. For more information on how to access this funding please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants
Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.
