The programme is intended to:
- Provide new opportunities for a wide range of young people to help shape and deliver engaging heritage projects;
- Bring heritage and youth organisations together to combine knowledge and experience; and
- Create opportunities to celebrate young people's achievements in the project and share their learning with the wider community.
Who and what is funded?
The programme funds partnerships of heritage and youth organisations, but bids can involve private individuals and commercial bodies. However, the lead applicant must be a not-for-profit body, such as a local authority, parish council, social enterprise, voluntary group or community interest company.
Young Roots is designed to provide young people aged 11 to 25 with an opportunity to play an active role in planning and delivering a heritage project, so bidders should demonstrate young people have been involved in the initiative from the start.
Heritage organisations sometimes lack the resources to engage with young people, while youth workers are often not aware of the wealth of opportunities offered by heritage for youth work. Under the programme, youth groups must work with at least one heritage partner, and heritage organisations must work with at least one youth partner.
Projects should also include opportunities to celebrate young people's achievements, for example, with an award or certificate, and create opportunities to share their learning with the wider community.
How is heritage defined?
For projects to receive backing, they must relate to the culturally varied heritage of the UK, and could involve exploring museum collections, researching newspaper archives or documenting changes to local habitats.
Examples of heritage include:
- Sites of local archaeological significance
- Collections of objects, books or documents in museums, libraries or archives
- Cultural traditions such as festivals, music, craft, dance and stories
- Historic buildings and landscapes
- Histories of places, events, people and communities
- The heritage of languages
- Natural heritage, including habitats, species and geology.
What outcomes are desired?
Applicants need to show how the funding will help them meet all the following outcomes for people and communities:
- Develop skills
- Learn about heritage
- Change attitudes and behaviour
- Have an employable experience
- Expand people's contact with heritage.
In addition, applicants must meet one of the following outcomes:
- Improve the condition of heritage
- Improve how it is interpreted and explained
- Better identify and record heritage.
How much is available?
The Heritage Lottery Fund can fund up to 100 per cent of the total project cost. Grants of more than £10,000 and less then £50,000 can be applied for all year round.
All direct project costs will be covered. For voluntary groups, the grant can also pay for part of the organisation's core costs, such as management, administration and premises costs. These should be calculated using the full-cost recovery model.
What won't it fund?
Projects outside the UK that focus on meeting statutory responsibilities, or promote religious or political beliefs are unlikely to gain support.
It is unusual for Young Roots to back bids that involve the purchase of land, property or heritage items.
What is the application process?
After being received, an application takes eight weeks to be assessed. It will then be discussed at a monthly advisory meeting of the local Heritage Lottery Fund office, after which a final decision will be made.
Applications should be clear about what the main heritage and youth partner organisation will contribute to the project, and provide evidence of how young people have been consulted.
In addition to meeting outcomes, applications will be assessed on the need for the project, value for money, whether it is well planned and financially realistic, and the legacy it will leave.
More from: www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/young-roots
Funding roundup
- City Bridge Trust has launched a £3.3m funding programme aiming to narrow the employment gap for young disabled people in London. The Bridge to Work programme will focus its support on projects helping young disabled people aged 16 to 30 and plans to be fully up and running by September. A pot of £350,000 will be made available to support paid work experience and internships for young disabled people. www.citybridgetrust.org.uk
- Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity has been awarded £7,936 by Sussex Community Foundation. The grant will pay for the latest interactive technology including an interactive whiteboard that will help children under five with cerebral palsy to communicate. www.sussexgiving.org.uk
- Adventures with Horses has received £3,750 of matched funding from the bank Santander. The Devon-based social enterprise helps young people who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs to build confidence and develop new skills by being around horses. Their programmes deliver group and one-to-one sessions to help young people aged nine to 25 build self-awareness, calmness and confidence. www.adventureswithhorses.co.uk
- Survivors of Sexual Childhood Abuse Information and Resources, a charity that provides support to survivors of childhood sexual abuse, has received a grant of £21,000 from The Robertson Trust. The three-year grant will cover day-to-day running expenses and also allow for those accessing the service to attend alternative therapy sessions. www.therobertsontrust.org.uk
