The fund targets support at young people aged 14-25 who experience systemic inequity and as a result struggle to successfully transition from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. It aims to tackle the root causes of inequality which make transitions harder to navigate and empower young people to change inequitable systems, processes and structures.
Who should apply?
The Youth Fund focuses on how organisations work, and what they seek to achieve.
It aims to support targeted work with and for young people who face barriers to accessing services such as education, care settings or housing.
The foundation particularly welcomes applications from organisations led by people most impacted by racism, ableism, classism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and/or transphobia.
A key focus of the fund is assessing how applicants work, and the foundation wants to see evidence of how funding will deliver strategic and systemic change in addition to supporting young people's transition to adulthood.
Applicants should also ensure that their work and workforce are representative, respectful, and relevant to the lived experience of the young people they are working with and for and demonstrate how they are committed to anti-racism.
What work is supported?
- Work that asks why this is happening to young people, and addresses the root causes of injustices
- Influences practice by training professionals to provide better services and support to young people; sharing best practice; and researching and collecting evidence to drive change
- Shapes policy by influencing organisational or government policy to improve experiences of young people
- Improves systems by holding decision makers to account; and advocating with and for young people to ensure rights and entitlements are respected
- Influences attitudes or narratives through work that makes connections with history and wider systems of oppression
- Work that impacts the wider external context in which young people live.
Who and how much?
The Youth Fund is designed to be a strategic investment. It funds:
- Organisations where at least 50% of its focus is on work with and for 14 - to 25-year-olds; and
- Not-for-profit organisations which can be charities, community organisations, social enterprises and not-for-profit companies with a turnover over £30,000 and under £3.5mn. Non-charities must clearly declare how funding is for charitable purposes and have an asset lock in place.
Applicants can apply for up to £50,000 per year for three years. This will cover core operating costs (salaries, organisation and delivery costs); and invest in growing the impact of an organisation.
What work isn't funded?
The Youth Fund does not support new or untested approaches, projects or finite pieces of work. Other exclusions include:
- Work that is considered a statutory responsibility;
- Service delivery that does not have a specific focus on wider change;
- Research that does not demonstrate a direct link between findings and taking action towards change;
- Work focused on pathways to employment;
- Support for end-of-life care for young people.
How to apply?
The Youth Fund is open to applications year-round.
It has a two-step process. Organisations will initially complete a written application via the foundation's online portal. This will collect information on the organisation's work, ambition for change, and how this aligns with the fund's criteria.
If the application meets criteria, organisations will be invited to an online interview. At this point, further information on finances and fundraising, governance, and impact will be required.
Successful applications will go before a grants panel for a final decision. There are five panels a year, which are made up of trustees and advisors with a wealth of expertise. The foundation makes 20 grants a year through the Youth Fund.
Funding roundup
The latest round of the Newcastle Youth Fund will distribute £524,000 to 24 youth services and activities across the city. The fund, managed by Newcastle City Council, supports a diverse range of provision for 13-19 year olds – and up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities – across the city. Successful schemes will run from April 2025 until March 2026 and include an open access youth project in Newbiggin Hall, a mentoring and social action project in Byker, a young women's project in Elswick and a life skills project for young carers.
Applications are open for the annual Weston Charity Awards – a collaboration between the Garfield Weston Foundation and charity partner Pilotlight. Award winners receive a package of support which includes unrestricted grants of £6,500 to help develop a sustainability plan and accelerate growth, plus free access to the Pilotlight 360 programme – an eight-month package of charity leadership coaching worth an estimated £16,000. Registered charities based in Wales, the North of England, and the Midlands are eligible to apply if they have an income of less than £5mn per year.
Childcare social enterprise London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) is to take over the running of Hillingdon Council's three early years centres. The council's cabinet has approved 15-year leases for LEYF to run Nestles Avenue Early Years Centre in Hayes, South Ruislip Early Years Centre and Uxbridge Early Years Centre. The social enterprise already runs more than 40 nurseries across 12 London boroughs.
