Shine: Support and Help in Education

Shine funds teacher-led educational interventions that improve literacy, support successful transition from primary to secondary school, and address underlying barriers such as mental health, attendance, parental engagement, and special educational needs. They also support programmes that raise aspirations and engagement for disadvantaged students at risk of falling behind. The Trust prioritises projects that demonstrate a clear link to improved attainment and can be sustained or scaled beyond the funding period. Geographically, Shine focuses on the North of England, including the North West, North East, and Yorkshire & Humber, with a strong local emphasis on the Sunderland area.

Shine welcomes applications from schools, registered charities, and community interest companies. They prioritise organisations working with children and young people from less advantaged backgrounds, particularly those in high-need schools across the North of England. Applicants should have strong local roots or a clear plan to develop their project in the region. The Trust values educators with lived community insight and a commitment to robust impact measurement. There is no religious restriction on eligibility.

Shine does not fund capital works, equipment-heavy projects where more than 50% of the budget is spent on equipment, or one-off activities such as summer schools, holiday clubs, or drop-in clubs that cannot show a long-term link to attainment. They also exclude projects based outside the North of England without plans to scale or develop there, and those that do not target or benefit children from less advantaged backgrounds.

Shine provides multi-year funding, offering grants over two years to support sustained impact. They fund project-based educational interventions and do not require match funding. The Trust welcomes unsolicited applications, particularly through their priority programmes like SHINE Sunderland and Let Teachers SHINE. They value projects co-created with educators and rigorously evaluated for scalability and long-term outcomes.