Charities and Trusts that support education through research


The Nuffield Foundation is a charitable trust that aims to improve social well-being by funding research projects in education, science and social science. It is financially and politically independent and makes grants for research and innovation projects in several areas including education policy and practice.

Current projects include primary education, secondary education transitions, and science and mathematics education. A range of teaching resources are available from the education section of the website.

Nesta (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is a charity that works to increase the innovation capacity of the UK. NESTA was set up in 1998 and runs practical programmes, conducts research, and supports partnerships to promote innovation across a broad range of policy and sectors. Several of their initiatives are relevant within education, particularly their reports on digital technologies.

CfBT Education

CfBT Education Trust was founded in 1968 as the Centre for British Teachers. It became a charity in 1976, providing education services in the United Kingdom and internationally. CfBT offer a range of research and support services to the education sector, including downloadable materials.

The Sutton

The Sutton Trust was founded in 1997 to improve social mobility through education.  The Trust’s interest covers parenting and early years, primary and secondary schooling and access to university and the professions. Focus is on programmes to address educational inequality; research studies and advocacy. Several influential recent reports are available to download.

The Education Endowment

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is a charity dedicated to ensuring that children from all backgrounds can fulfil their potential and make the most of their talents. The EFF hosts the Teaching and Learning Toolkit, an accessible summary of educational research which provides guidance for teachers and schools on how to use their resources to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Toolkit currently covers 34 topics, each summarised in terms of their average impact on attainment, the strength of the supporting evidence and cost.

The Wellcome

The Wellcome Trust is a biomedical research charity established in 1936. In addition to funding biomedical research it supports the public understanding of science. There are a range of materials and links available to download from the education section of the website.