Grants

Introduction

Every year we provide grants to support the availability of qualifications, through the medium of Welsh. We also provide small grants to support elements of our reform work.

Grants Policy

Our Grants Policy sets out the general principles we follow when considering making a grant available. 

Available grants

• Welsh Language Support Grant – this grant is designed to assist all recognised awarding bodies in enabling learners to take regulated qualifications through the medium of Welsh  
• Qualification Reform Support Grant – grant funding used to support the introduction of new qualifications and change within the qualifications system 
• Welsh for Adults Grant - funding to support the implementation of Welsh for Adults examinations  

Awarding bodies are invited to submit a formal proposal for one or more of these grants.

The Welsh Language Support Grant

The 2024/25 application window will open on 11 January 2024 and will close at midnight on 29 February 2024. The Application Guidance, Application Form, and Supplementary Information spreadsheet can be found below:

• Letter to Responsible Officers
• Application Guidance
• Application Form
• Supplementary Information Spreadsheet

Please note that while we encourage applicants to consider whether they are able to complete all of the activities being applied for within the 2024/25 financial year, we will consider applications for medium and longer-term programmes of work that may involve incremental developments that go beyond one financial year.

We reserve the right to accept applications outside of the application window, however this will be subject to funding availability. We therefore recommend that applications are submitted by the deadline.

Strategic Priorities

For 2024/25 our Overarching Priority for the Welsh Language Support Grant is to support qualifications designed: 

• for use by learners aged 14-19 on full-time funded programmes of learning and/or
• to be used on publicly funded apprenticeships.

We anticipate that the majority of our available funding will be awarded to qualifications that fall within this Overarching Priority. However, applications are welcome for qualifications that do not fall within this priority. We will also prioritise qualifications for which demand and/or need is identified.

In our view it is best practice for qualifications to be made available for learners in both Welsh and English from the point of first teaching. This approach increases the likelihood that centres in Wales will be encouraged to deliver new qualifications and to provide an active and equal offer to learners from the outset.

Sub-priority features

Within our Overarching Priority, we will further prioritise applications that meet one or more of the following features:

• New qualifications designed for first teaching from September 2024 or 2025 (these may replace existing qualifications).
• Qualifications that have recently been updated and/or reviewed.
• Qualifications where a need and/or demand has been highlighted by key stakeholders such as learning providers, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and Welsh Government.
• Qualifications that have been identified through Qualifications Wales activities, such as Sector Reviews, Sector Qualification Groups, and Welsh-medium mapping work.
• Activities to support the assessment of learners currently undertaking a qualification through the medium of Welsh. For example, supporting External Quality Assurance activities through the medium of Welsh or translation of exam papers into Welsh. Such activities would only be supported in exceptional circumstances.

The Typical Designation/Approval Final Start Date of the qualification must be at least two years from the date of awarding the grant funding, unless there is a clear commitment from the awarding body to extend and/or replace the qualification with a new bilingual qualification.

If you have any questions on the grant application process, please contact grants@qualifications.wales

2024/25 Welsh Language Support Grant Webinar

On 15th January 2024, we held our Welsh Language Support Grant webinar outlining the purpose of the grant, how awarding bodies can apply for funding, and the changes that have been intoduced to application process for the 2024/25 grant cycle.

Grants Awarded 2024/2025

Click here to download Welsh Language Support Grant Qualifications 2024-2025 document