Our Work | Our Programmes | Code Xtra | Grant Awards | Code Like Kids | Ethics in Tech
GRANT AWARDS
From 2016 to 2026, Digital Xtra awarded over £1,189,000 in grant awards to 210 extracurricular computing initiatives across Scotland. Grant recipients positively engaged tens of thousands of children and young people in tech while also highlighting the future career opportunities these skills provide.
INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE TO INNOVATE WITH TECH,
NOT SIMPLY USE IT
From 2016 to 2025, Digital Xtra supported computing activities across Scotland through it’s annual Grant Awards programme. Schools and organisations actively involved in the provision of extracurricular computing education and/or digital technologies activities for young people could apply for up to £5,000 for their initiative. This programme gave thousands of young people the opportunity to understand and innovate with technology, not simply use it.
WE AWARDED £1,189,000 FOR DIGITAL SKILLS INITIATIVES ACROSS 10 GRANT CYCLES
THIS FUNDING SUPPORTED 210 COMPUTING ACTIVITIES ACROSS ALL 32 LOCAL AUTHORITIES
OUR GRANT RECIPIENTS ENGAGED OVER 60,000 YOUNG PEOPLE WHILE CREATING A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE DELIVERY
OVER 50% OF YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGED WERE FEMALE*
*engagement by gender was not recorded during the first two grant cycles
Digital Xtra’s Grant Awards programme was an amazing achievement that saw industry, government, and the third sector come together under a common strategy to give thousands of children and young people opportunities to learn critical digital skills. As supported initiatives were extracurricular, many young people likely wouldn’t have had these opportunities otherwise. Across 10 grant cycles, the charity exceeded expectations in terms of funding awarded, participants, and number of girls and young women engaged.
Learn more about each initiative supported by the Grant Awards programme on ‘Our Programmes’ page
FEEDBACK FROM GRANT RECIPIENTS...
The success of the Grant Awards programme was not just measured in funding awarded or numbers engaged, but also in the feedback from grant recipients about how it helped them create unique and meaningful experiences for young people. Here is a small selection of this wonderful feedback!
“We would not have been able to delivery this programme without Digital Xtra’s funding, which allowed us to not only acquire the necessary LEGO kits and pay the registration fees, but also enabled us to delivery rich team building activities.”
“By inspiring students through exciting and engaging extracurricular activities, we have cultivated a passion for digital technologies that will carry them through their academic and professional journeys. The success of the girls’ coding club in particular has demonstrated that with the right support and opportunities, young women can and will excel in technology, paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive tech industry in the future. ”
“When I grow up I’m going to build my own robot. It’s going to be my friend and come everywhere with me.”
“Participants took part in a showcase event at Skyscanner’s offices. They were genuinely excited by the professional environment, describing the offices as ‘very cool’ and asking how they could work in places like that in the future, demonstrating a clear spark of ambition and interest in digital careers.”
“The best part was that I got to help the younger ones, and learn things about them as well as the kit.”
“Without the funding, we would not have been able to invest in the Code Jumper equipment. Being able to give the children the opportunity to explore the kit while learning theory through a multi-sensory approach was fundamental to their success.”
“The LEGO SPIKE Essential and Prime are really fun. I want to complete all the units and then make my own robot.”
“We have children from different schools and diverse backgrounds coming together. When the young people come together to code, they end up becoming friends with each other. We’re happy to see how they’re taking the coding, beyond the club, and it’s really, really impressive to see them in that light.”
“Initial data showed that less than 10% of participants had seriously considered a STEM career. By the end of the project, 55% stated they would now seriously consider a career in digital or STEM industries and fewer than 10% ruled it out completely. A dramatic shift in interest and awareness.”
“The transformation in some of the students involved was incredible. They went from hesitant and unsure to leading their own projects and mentoring others.”
“I’m going to ask my mum what a variable is and I bet she won’t know - but I do!”
“Discussions highlighted how STEM is integral not only to traditional tech jobs but also to industries like farming and transportation, helping pupils make connections between their learning and future opportunities.”
“Before this, I thought coding was just for people who were really smart. Now I know what coding means and I can do it!”
“One particular success story was a child who wasn’t engaged at first, but when he started to gain confidence with Python, he really shone. He was really proud showing his parents what he had learned and designed a small quiz, where he asked them to enter details about themselves by answering questions and then it displayed a paragraph with their information included.”
“At first I didn’t know what a sensor even was, but now I made a robot that can stop before it hits a wall! I didn’t think coding could be this cool.”
“Without the funding, we would not have been able to offer a coding club tailored to our youngest learners as we did not have the resources for them to use and interact with and do not have the budget to purchase them. From starting the coding at P1 level, we have now established a solid foundation of computer science skills to build on.”
