How to Apply
Up until 2020, we accepted applications for funding at any time of the year. Normally, the application process involves dialogue with our trustees and advisors which may take place over several weeks or months: when your application is ready, it is submitted to the next Grants and Development Committee (GDC) meeting or a Trustee Board meeting.
Our GDC meets quarterly to review applications, approximately one month before our Trustee Board meeting. Approval of grant applications recommended by GDC is made at Trustee Board meetings.
However, we are not accepting new grant proposals at present. For further details, see our News page.
In this section you will find our Grant Guidelines, our Grant Terms and Conditions and our Anti-fraud Policy Statement.
For a reminder of the kinds of projects we are able to support, please go to the What We Fund section.
“We were able to sit down with the Trustees and say: "This is what we're thinking" and develop the project in collaboration - they visited us on several occasions during the project - and afterwards.”
Grantee 9
“CET was open to new ideas, ways of working. We had to deliver against our objectives, but the way we did it was very open to negotiation, so it didn't stifle the research process. As a result, it was a rich project, disseminated to policy-makers, researchers and practitioners from across the UK and beyond.”
Grantee 11
“It's really important to make sure there is time for dialogue to ascertain whether or not a particular project fits the spirit of the funding guidelines and explore that in a high trust way. We have core programmes devised rigorously with set priorities... matching those with that of the funder can be quite a challenge.”
Grantee 8

Grant Guidelines
Concept papers and full grant applications are reviewed quarterly: they must be submitted to: applications@thecet.org. ... Read more

Grant Terms & Conditions
1. Use of Grant a. The copy of the Grant Offer Letter must be returned to us (Commercial Education Trust) immediately, having been signed…... Read more

General Exclusions
We will not normally: support commercial organisations, charities not registered in the UK, or failing organisations or causes fund major capital projects (e.g. the…... Read more

Our Funding Priorities
We regard commercial education as embracing four main areas of activity: SKILLS DEVELOPMENT: education in the essential skills that are needed for employment as…... Read more

Recent Projects
We fund projects that support the development of commercial awareness in young people and facilitate their transition from education into employment, self-employment and enterprise.…... Read more

Our Stakeholders
CET believes a coordinated approach involving a range of stakeholders is required to help young people choose the right career path, to make a…... Read more