Grant News
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is now accepting applications for its Spring 2026 Early Years Funding Round.
This competitive funding round invites applications from organisations that run programmes designed to improve early maths skills for children aged 2–4 (before they start Reception year at school). Eligible applicants include curriculum developers, early years providers, maintained nurseries, private, voluntary and independent (PVI) settings, and childminders.
This round is open to applications for pilot projects and efficacy and effectiveness trials.
The priority areas for this funding round are:
- geometry, spatial thinking and measurement;
- number concepts
There is no fixed grant amount. Awards vary depending on the size and type of evaluation. Funding usually covers the cost of a rigorous independent evaluation carried out by external researchers to measure the programme’s impact on children’s maths outcomes.
In previous rounds, EEF has funded large-scale trials of structured early years maths curricula, practitioner training programmes, and evidence-informed teaching approaches designed to reduce the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers.
The application deadline is 11:00am on Wednesday 11 March 2026.
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