Sponsor A Student
Education is subsidised to an extent in Kenya, however there are many students from disadvantaged circumstances who would otherwise not be able to attend school without financial support. VGT provides bursaries for young people with disability to attend the Vanessa Grant School (VGS), and for girls to attend high school at the Vanessa Grant Girls’ School (VGGS). In addition, VGT provides modest living support bursaries for students graduating from the VGGS, enabling them to attend university.
All sponsored bursaries cover a four-year period and include a full residential experience, with costs varying depending on the school attended. As a sponsor, you will receive regular updates from the schools for the student you are sponsoring, including reports on academic progress and personalised letters.
To ensure continuity and to provide some certainty for the duration of their study, we do ask sponsors to commit to a four-year pledge funded in one payment. Please contact the VGT in your country if you would like to sponsor a student via an annual payment commitment.
Read more about our sponsorship opportunities below.
Sponsor a Child at Vanessa Grant Special School
This one-off sponsorship amount will enable one child to attend four years of boarding school at the Vanessa Grant Special School (VGS).
![KES"](https://www.vanessagranttrust.org/content/uploads/2024/09/flag_of_kenya_flat_square-512x512-1.png")
![GBP"](https://www.vanessagranttrust.org/content/uploads/2024/09/flag_of_united_kingdom_flat_square-512x512-1.png")
![AUD"](https://www.vanessagranttrust.org/content/uploads/2024/12/flag_of_australia_flat_square-512x512-1.png")
![USD"](https://www.vanessagranttrust.org/content/uploads/2024/12/flag_of_united_states_flat_square-512x512-1.png")
KES
Ksh 139,230
The Vanessa Grant School Trust (Kenya) was established in Kenya as an Irrevocable Public Charitable Trust in 1998.
GBP
£ 819
The Vanessa Grant Trust is a registered charity in the U.K (Registered Charity No. 1098865).
If you are an eligible UK taxpayer, you may also consider making a Gift Aid declaration which allows us to claim 25p of tax for every £1 you donate.
The Vanessa Grant Trust (Australia) has deductible gift recipient (DGR) status in Australia (ABN 21715348827).
All donations over $2 made in Australia are fully tax deductible.
The Vanessa Grant Trust (USA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the USA, with a federal tax identification number (TIN) of 26-1702311.
Your gift may be tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor.
More about the Vanessa Grant Special School
The Vanessa Grant School is a residential and learning facility for forty children aged between 6 and 15 years with psychosocial disability.
This “model” facility focuses on the children developing a range of skills: daily living, reading and writing where possible, vegetable production and tending small animals, as well as some pre-vocational skills such as weaving, bead work and sewing.
Many of the children with disability in the area come from the poorest families. By sponsoring a child for four years at the Vanessa Grant School, you are giving them access to learning and education in a safe and nurturing environment.
Welfare support is very limited in Kenya, and without the VGS many of these children would not have any access to education or training opportunities, inevitably condemning them to a life of extreme poverty. Sponsorship provides needed resources for skills development, additional carer support, dietary supplements, and medical care.
Sponsor a Girl at Vanessa Grant Girls’ School
The following one-off sponsorship amount will enable one girl to attend four years of secondary boarding school at the VGGS.
KES
Ksh 974,610
The Vanessa Grant School Trust (Kenya) was established in Kenya as an Irrevocable Public Charitable Trust in 1998.
GBP
£5,733
The Vanessa Grant Trust is a registered charity in the U.K (Registered Charity No. 1098865).
If you are an eligible UK taxpayer, you may also consider making a Gift Aid declaration which allows us to claim 25p of tax for every £1 you donate.
The Vanessa Grant Trust (Australia) has deductible gift recipient (DGR) status in Australia (ABN 21715348827).
All donations over $2 made in Australia are fully tax deductible.
The Vanessa Grant Trust (USA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the USA, with a federal tax identification number (TIN) of 26-1702311.
Your gift may be tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor.
More about Vanessa Grant Girls’ School
In 2010, The Vanessa Grant Trust embarked on its most ambitious project – the creation of a brand new girls’ secondary boarding school called the Vanessa Grant Girls’ School (VGGS). In its first year the school had 30 enrolled students. By 2018 the school had over 400 girls enrolled and has become one of the highest ranked academic schools in Kenya.
Educational opportunities in Kenya tend to favour boys. Many girls, on completing a primary education, are forced to drop out and are expected to return home to help on the farm until a suitable husband is found. Secondary education in Kenya can be expensive and many talented girls are simply unable to attend secondary school due to insufficient family funds.
The VGT provides as many assisted places as possible each year for bright students from challenged backgrounds through bursaries and scholarships funded by local and overseas donors. Almost 40% of students currently receive fee support.
We ask that you commit to the full four year sponsorship amount as the consequences of cancelling a sponsorship at any point during a sponsored girl’s secondary schooling has the potential to be quite damaging.
By sponsoring a young Kenyan girl through secondary school, you are giving her, her family and ultimately her community, a chance to break the cycle of poverty.
Sponsor a Young Woman for Tertiary Pathways Program
The following one-off sponsorship amount will enable one VGGS graduate to cover living expenses associated with four years of tertiary education at a Kenyan University.
KES
Ksh 417,690
GBP
£ 2,457
The Vanessa Grant Trust is a registered charity in the U.K (Registered Charity No. 1098865).
If you are an eligible UK taxpayer, you may also consider making a Gift Aid declaration which allows us to claim 25p of tax for every £1 you donate.
The Vanessa Grant Trust (Australia) has deductible gift recipient (DGR) status in Australia (ABN 21715348827).
All donations over $2 made in Australia are fully tax deductible.
The Vanessa Grant Trust (USA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the USA, with a federal tax identification number (TIN) of 26-1702311.
Your gift may be tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor.
More about the Tertiary Pathways Program
The Vanessa Grant Trust initiated the Tertiary Pathways Program in 2015 to facilitate a route from high school to tertiary institutions, primarily for bursary students graduating from the Vanessa Grant Girls’ School (VGGS).
Performance-based bursaries are available for the standard four-year period of university education, and cover relocation, modest daily living costs, rent for safe accommodations, public transport and supplies, as well as fees for some students. Students also receive a course to prepare them for independent, urban living, personal health management and HIV awareness.
By the end of 2025, 80 young women will have entered the program, with a presence in every highly ranked university in Kenya. They are studying education, law, commerce, agriculture, sciences, computer science, public policy, social work and tourism. 30 students had completed the Program by the end of 2024, and now work in education, industry, finance and law, with one graduate attached to the Supreme Court as a law clerk.
Supporting the progression of the next generation of talented young women through university and enabling them to focus on attaining tertiary qualifications is both a responsibility and a privilege. Our goal is to ensure that at least 15-20 VGGS graduates can benefit from the Tertiary Pathways Program every year, enabling them to take up their hard-earned place at university.
