Act for Change Fund awards first grants to young people leading social action

The Act for Change Fund is a £3.6 million fund for organisations supporting young people working for change.

The fund aims to deliver a greater understanding of what works in youth-led social action, the best ways to engage young people, especially those who often miss out, the potential impact of this work for young people and their communities (geographically and communities of interest), and to share this learning, so others locally, regionally or nationally may benefit. 

Seven grants totalling £687,200 have been awarded in the first round to the following organisations:

Further details about each of the grants can be accessed here.

Funding partnership


Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation are working in partnership with the Big Lottery Fund to deliver the Act for Change Fund. Both foundations are acting as match funders and are awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill fund. Big Lottery Fund and Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) are each investing £20 million seed funding over four years to create the #iwill fund.

The application process

The Act for Change Fund is in two phases:
  • The first round opened in July 2018 is for organisations already supported by PHF/EFF, who were invited to apply. 
  • Building on the learning from round one, the second round will open in February 2019 to organisations with a track record in helping to deliver youth-led social change, with decisions made in mid-2019.

We expect grants to be in the range of £20,000-£100,000 over two years and aim to support around 30 organisations in this way.

For further information about the application process, please email actforchangefund@phf.org.uk.