National Student Policy Trust

Funding the next generation of student policy research.

We provide grants, training, and long-term support to student-led think tanks at universities across the UK — so students can produce rigorous, non-partisan research, freely available to all.

Support our mission How we fund research

Registration with the Charity Commission pending

What we fund

Four ways we back student researchers

Every grant flows through a registered students' union and supports the advancement of education.

Educational bursaries

Equal, non-exchange bursaries for student researchers — paid through their students' union and tied to genuine training.

Operational & development grants

Restricted grants for research events, speaker programmes, publications and networking that widen public understanding.

Training & professional development

Academic writing, research methodology and data-analysis workshops that build lasting, employable skills.

Emergency Continuity Reserve

Two to three years of ring-fenced runway that protects a supported think tank's long-term independence.

How it works

From a single gift to public research

Funds are always channelled through the students' union as a restricted fund, keeping the money accountable and the research independent.

  1. Donor A philanthropic gift, screened under the Ethical Funding Policy.
  2. The Trust Awards grants and bursaries — never directing research.
  3. Students' union Holds and disburses the money as a ring-fenced restricted fund.
  4. Student think tank Bursaries, training, and operational support reach the students.
  5. Public research Non-partisan analysis, published freely for everyone.

Why you can trust us

Independence, built into the model

The guardrails below are not marketing — they are drawn from our constitution and governing policies.

Non-partisan by design

We only fund balanced, evidence-based research. Policy recommendations that follow from the evidence are welcome; partisan campaigning is not.

Operational independence

We never direct a think tank's research or conclusions. Students are actively consulted about bursary conditions.

Ethical funding

Excluded sectors and proportionate Know Your Donor checks keep tainted or influence-seeking money out.

Transparency

An Annual Transparency Report sets out the funds we receive and the educational impact they achieve.

Founding partner

Phase one: the Leeds Policy Institute

The Trust launches by developing and testing its grant-making model with a primary partner — the Leeds Policy Institute at the University of Leeds — before expanding to student think tanks at universities across the United Kingdom.

Visit the Leeds Policy Institute
  • Now Leeds Policy Institute
  • Next Universities across the UK

Support the next generation of student policy research.

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