Funding available for educational organisations

Photo shows CPC Head of Procurement, Pat Condon, presenting Carr Hill High School with their funding

Charity CPL Group shares its ethos of giving back to education and highlights future funding and support opportunities available

CPL Group is a not-for-profit charity owned by the education sector that comprises Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) and Tenet Education Services. Working in partnership with our suppliers provides us with the wonderful opportunity to give back to the sector. Both organisations operate solely within the education sector providing a range of framework deals and additional procurement services including onsite placements and procurement support for educational organisations.
    
Previously the Group has written procurement support focused pieces but this article has been designed to provide you with an insight into the Group’s ethos of giving back to education through the work that it undertakes within the sector. It also highlights future funding and support opportunities for your organisation.
    
CPL Group’s aim is to support the improvement of value for money obtained by schools, academies, trusts, further education colleges and universities. We fully understand the financial pressures that the whole of the education sector is currently facing with the majority of our senior management team having worked directly in educational institutions, delivering on the front line and experiencing first-hand the daily financial pressures affecting education. This experience coupled with the determination to make a difference across the sector is what drives the team to ensure that all our services are specifically designed for educational organisations to maximise value throughout the procurement cycle.
    
We have achieved year-on-year growth which is enabling us to give back to the education sector, especially in projects over the last three years.

Providing learning & other funding

During 2018-19, the CPL Group Board approved £500k of funds to support educational organisations. This underpinned several projects including the setting up of a fund allowing educational organisations to bid for grant funding.
Another project was the development of a new E-Learning portal to provide free of charge access to training when the service launches in March 2020.
    
It also enabled the provision of discounted fees when utilising the services of Tenet Education Services to undertake procurement activity.
    
It also allowed for the provision of free to attend procurement conferences such as ProcureEd. The next conference will be taking place in May 2020.

Funding student enrichment

The single biggest funding allocation was made to the grant funding project with £375k being approved.
    
Qualifying organisations were invited to bid for funding of between £100 and £20,000 demonstrating that their project was sustainable and would enhance the lives of their students. CPL Group supported bids from 33 organisations, successful projects included: £20,000 for the provision of sports equipment to enhance fitness amongst students, £10,750 into the provision of mental health support for students in conjunction with Barnardo’s and £7,500 for the provision of a wildlife pond and garden at an inner-city academy.
    
Further projects included £4,000 for the provision of tents and equipment to support students undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh award, £1,000 for the provision of library books for disadvantaged students and £890 went towards a theatre company visit to assist students with reading and storytelling.
    
£20,000 also went to Carr Hill High School near Preston for the provision of Chrome Books to assist with curriculum delivery. School Business Manager, Mrs Childs said: “The funding we have been awarded is going to play a huge part in the future of technology based learning at Carr Hill not only for students here today but those joining us in the future. We are thrilled to have received this funding and to have the chance to give our students access to so many enhanced learning opportunities as a result of it.”
    
CPL Group are delighted to have been able to support organisations through multiple projects and will continue to re-invest significant funding within education in line with the charitable objectives of the Group.

Procurement apprentices

During 2017-18 the CPL Group Board approved £300k of funding to support 15 procurement apprentices working in educational organisations. This support covered all salary costs for an 18 month period and allowed the 15 successful institutions to provide their apprentices with employment as well as a qualification in business administration during the term of their apprenticeship.
    
Jordan Robbins, who undertook his apprenticeship at Blackpool 6th Form College said: “The whole experience has been fantastic, there has always been opportunities to grow and develop and the most important thing for me is that I felt supported. I just wanted to take the opportunity to say a big thank you to CPL Group and the college because obviously the support I’ve received has been second to none. I just think that I’ve learnt so much over the past 18 months and the opportunity has allowed me to grow hugely both personally and professionally, I think that’s something in the future that I always will be grateful for.”

New opportunities for funding

The CPL Board approved an additional £500k for reinvestment back into the sector in November 2019. The next round of funding applications will commence in February 2020 when qualifying educational organisations which are registered as CPC members will be able to submit their bids in support of projects that will enhance the lives and learning opportunities for students across the UK.
    
The CPL Group is committed to making a difference to the lives of all students and through the support of its members looks forward to being able to reciprocate that support back to the education sector in the future.
    
Managing Director Peter Brewer said: “CPL Group is focused on making a difference in education. We want our members to have the best possible experience when dealing with the CPL Team and through member support and the support of our suppliers we are able to give back to education through the use of our surpluses. We look forward to seeing the exciting opportunities that this brings for our members and their students as we continue to work together in the future.”

Further Information: