BCU students offered £500 bursaries from a 300-year-old Birmingham charity

Students training to be social workers, youth workers and fashion designers at Birmingham City University can apply for £500 bursaries this year, thanks to a charity founded by a Birmingham businessman more than 300 years ago.

The George Fentham Opportunity Fund will give one-off bursaries to eligible undergraduates during the 2026/27 academic year, to help with the everyday costs that can hold students back.

Who can apply

The bursaries are open to students on a range of courses: Education Studies, Social Work, Working with Children, Young People and Families, Youth Work and Communities, Early Childhood Studies, Fashion Design, Fashion Business and Promotion, and Textile Design.

The money can go towards essentials such as IT equipment, learning materials, and travel and placement costs, as well as opportunities that help students develop professionally. Full eligibility criteria are on the BCU website.

The fund is also helping nursing students who are facing financial hardship by buying the clinical shoes they need for practical training and placements. That support covers students on BSc Nursing courses starting in both September 2026 and January 2027.

"Not held back by financial barriers"

Robin Leonard, director of development at BCU, said: "The George Fentham Opportunity Fund is about ensuring that talented students are not held back by financial barriers as they work towards careers that make a real difference to society."

"For many students, even relatively modest costs can create real challenges," he said. "These bursaries provide practical support at a critical point in their university journey, helping them focus on developing their skills, gaining valuable experience and achieving their ambitions."

The courses were chosen because they make a significant contribution to the fabric of Birmingham, producing graduates who go on to work with vulnerable children and families, young people and communities across the city.

A 17th-century gift still at work

The fashion and textile courses have a special link to the man behind the money. George Fentham, born in Hampton-in-Arden in 1630, began his career as a mercer, a merchant dealing in fine fabrics. He went on to build his fortune in Birmingham as a businessman and landowner, and saw the hardship people in the city faced.

In his will, drawn up in 1690, eight years before his death, Fentham set aside part of his estate to support the poor and to educate disadvantaged children in Birmingham. His bequest started a charitable tradition that has continued for more than three centuries, adapting to the needs of each generation.

Mr Leonard said the university was "incredibly grateful to the George Fentham Birmingham Charity for its commitment to widening opportunity", adding: "Their funding reflects a shared belief that potential should never be limited by circumstance, and that investing in students today creates lasting benefits for communities tomorrow."

For a student juggling rent, travel and placements, £500 or a pair of clinical shoes may make the difference between keeping up with a course and falling behind. More than 300 years on, Fentham's gift is still doing what he intended.