We believe in the potential of every young person. We fund organisations that seek to challenge the inequalities faced by those young people (age 0–25) who are currently missing out. We want to see the views of children and young people at the heart of organisations, and young people empowered to take action.
Below, you can find information about our funding priorities for Children and Young People.
Please note this information relates to our priorities under our 2015-2019 strategy. You can find information on our current priorities in our latest strategy and under our aims.
Improving support for disadvantaged children and young people
- We support work that:
- Identifies and supports previously overlooked needs of children and young people, and
- Creates long-term change for young people who face challenges, and
- Contributes to a shift in the way the public or voluntary sector supports young people.
- Applicants must:
- Show that they are working to advance the sector’s thinking and practice.
- We want our funding to:
- Support learning and improve collective understanding across the sector.
The rights of vulnerable children and young people
- We support work that:
- Challenges persistent inequalities, and
- Aims to change policy, practice and legislation in order to include young people who have been missed out.
- Applicants must:
- Show that their work is driven and shaped by young people themselves.
- We want our funding to:
- Protect the rights of vulnerable children and young people, and
- Provide investment for ambitious or difficult work that challenges the status quo.
Addressing the root causes of low educational attainment and challenging behaviour
- We support work that:
- Identifies and addresses the underlying issues faced by children and young people, and
- Uses a preventative approach to help stop cycles of disadvantage and work to equip young people for life.
- Applicants must:
- Deliver initiatives on a large scale which are able to challenge inequality in education or social care.
- We want our funding to:
- Support early action that enables young people to achieve their full potential, particularly work which involves families and the wider community.
Empowering young leaders
- We support work that:
- Gives a platform to a wider range of young people’s voices so that more young people are able to influence the world around them.
- Empowers young people who are under-represented in decision-making to speak out.
- Applicants must:
- Show how young leaders will have a real chance of influencing change and support young people to ‘speak truth to power’.
- We want our funding to:
- Enable a wider range of young people to shape local or national life.
Young People Leaving Care – a focused funding stream
- We only support work towards two outcomes:
- Young people in and leaving care are more easily able to form healthy relationships that help them make a successful transition to adulthood, or
- Young people receive a consistently high standard of statutory support that has been informed by their views.
- Applicants must:
- Put care experienced young people at the centre of their work, and
- Be willing to come together regularly to share learning with others in the funding stream.
- We want our funding to:
- Create greater alignment and coherence in the work of the voluntary sector in ensuring a successful transition to adult life for care leavers.
