Royal Society of Chemistry - Inclusion and Diversity Fund
Overview
Overview
Their Inclusion and Diversity Fund provides financial support for innovative products, activities and research projects that do just that.
Previous recipients of their funding have included projects related to gender, disability, socio-economic background, language, race and ethnicity, the LGBT+ community and more. These have been delivered via initiatives such as data collection and analysis, workshops, conferences and hackathons.
Eligible projects must have clear intended outcomes, for example:
- removing barriers to access and progression for underrepresented groups in the chemical sciences, ensuring equitable representation and fostering a sense of belonging.
(please keep some line spacing between the bullet points) - enhancing retention, career development, and leadership opportunities for diverse talent in chemistry, addressing bias in career progression, and creating accessible pathways for professional growth.
- creating an inclusive culture in chemical sciences education, workplaces, and institutions by embedding accessibility and equitable practices that support belonging for all.
The Chemists’ Community Fund (CCF) provides the Inclusion & Diversity Fund with ring-fenced additional funding to support initiatives that closely align with the CCF’s guiding principles — particularly those that engage directly with under-represented communities and support wellbeing, accessibility, and inclusive participation in the chemical sciences.
They will consider individual applications up to the value of £5,000. Funding greater than £5,000 may be considered for one project each year. Please contact the diversity team for more details.
Who can apply
The grant scheme is open to RSC members or non-members based in the United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland.
Eligible applicants can apply either as individuals or on behalf of an organisation. This includes, but is not limited to, member-led groups, researchers in academia or industry, museums, community groups, not-for-profit organisations, arts groups and libraries.
Eligible projects
Eligible projects must have clear intended outcomes, see above.
The proposed project must focus on inclusion and diversity – outreach or chemistry research projects will not be considered. If your application is considered more suitable for the Outreach Fund they will contact you and seek your approval to transfer your application.
Applications relating to a range of audiences will be considered, including different age groups, career stages, geographical regions and sectors.
For further detail on their audiences for inclusion and diversity activities please see "our inclusion and diversity strategy".
Please note, the Inclusion & Diversity Fund is intended for projects that directly investigate or address inclusion and diversity issues in the chemical sciences. The Inclusion and Diversity Fund is not intended to fund chemistry research.
Assessment Criteria
- Focus on the chemical science community: your project must be centred on increasing inclusion and diversity in the chemical sciences community.
- Relevance to RSC I&D Strategy: your project must be relevant to "our inclusion and diversity strategy".
- Audience: your project must have a clearly defined target audience within the chemical sciences community.
- Impact: your proposal must clearly describe the impact that the project will have on the target audience and/or beyond.
- Outcomes: your project should be deliverable and include clear evaluation plans.
- Feasibility of proposal: your project must be clearly written and costed, be feasible to complete with the resource allocation and/or support and be within the timeframe that you indicated on your proposal.
- Impact of funding: applicants should show that the requested funding will make a significant difference to their ability to deliver the project.
Previously funded projects can be seen on their webpage.