Dudgeon Community Fund opens for 2022 STEM education grant applications
2019 project: Greenpower Norfolk Ambassador Matt Buck (kneeling) with a single seat F24 electric kit car. [Image courtesy of Matt Buck, Town Close School]
The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm has announced that its Community Fund has opened for grant applications for STEM programme (science, technology, engineering and maths) projects to be delivered in the 2022/23 academic year.
The Dudgeon Community Fund STEM programme has been designed to inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators and inventors for pupils in school years 8-13 within the Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and Breckland districts of Norfolk.
Karl Butler, O&M Manager of the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm, is expecting the Community Fund to receive applications for a range of innovative STEM projects, saying:
“We have committed to a yearly investment of £100,000 to the Community Fund and, following its launch in 2018, the STEM programme has supported some great initiatives.
“The success of projects, which included an exciting robotics development programme, a Greenpower inter-school electric racing car challenge, an out-of-school-hours ‘Maker Shed’, has contributed to our decision to extend the grant application criteria to include school years 12 and 13.”
Last year the Dudgeon Community Fund awarded its grant funding to the Every Child Online programme to help ensure that Norfolk’s schools and academies could supply the 6,000 computer and IT devices needed to ensure that Norfolk’s young people had the technology for successful home learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applications for grants can be made by non-fee paying schools or other organisations which are delivering the National Curriculum or government funded education in these districts of Norfolk. However, activities which are delivered in core curriculum/classroom time are not eligible for funding.
The Dudgeon Community Fund is administered by the Norfolk Community Foundation and full details of the application process can be found at: www.norfolkfoundation.com/funding-support/grants/groups/dudgeon-community-fund
The closing date for applications is 13 June 2022, and whilst support will initially be given for one year, projects which achieve delivery success will be able to apply for a further grant for the 2023/24 academic year.
About Equinor in Norfolk
Equinor is a long-term partner for Norfolk and has been an active member of the community for over a decade through the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms it operates off the Norfolk coast.
The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Masdar and China Resources, whilst Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Equitix Offshore 5 (co-owned by Equitix and the Renewable Investment Group TRIG) and a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management).
Currently, the combined output of both wind farms is sufficient to power around 710,000 UK homes, and the proposed extensions will increase that to more than 1.5 million UK households.
Both wind farms have established community funds which in total have awarded over £1 million to projects in Norfolk. The funds were set up to provide grants to Norfolk community groups, including schools and NGOs, seeking financial assistance for projects or initiatives that meet key criteria and focus on renewable energy, marine environment and safety, sustainability, or education in these areas.
During 2020, the funds provided grant funding to the Norfolk Community Foundation’s COVID-19 funding initiatives, and during 2021 grant funding has been made available to support Norfolk’s ‘every child on-line’ initiative.
Grid connection
SEP and DEP are ‘Early Opportunities’ projects under Ofgem’s ongoing Offshore Transmission Network Review. The DCO application will provide for an integrated grid connection, as well as separate grid connections for each project, within the same overall onshore footprint. It is Equinor’s preference to deliver the integrated grid connection as long as the necessary regulatory changes are in place to facilitate this.
Issue date: 27-05-22
For media enquiries, please contact:
For consultation or community enquiries, please contact:
Nigel Tompkins, the Projects'' Community Liaison Officer based in Norfolk,
E-mail: nigel@ni4b.co.uk