Children and young people

These funds specialise in supporting projects connected with children and young people.

As with any charitable project, it’s worth considering the funders that will fund a wide variety of projects. Education is covered separately here.

 

John Althorp: Helping the young, and the general community in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Greater Manchester. This is done by the awarding of grants to organisations. Please note that (other than exceptional circumstances) we only provide funding for capital projects.  To be clear, a capital project is the purchase of a physical asset that has a useful life of one or a year more.   We give grants for things that come up outside of your day-to-day expenses. What we like funding most is contributions towards one-off capital expenditure (for example if your charity needs a new van, or needs to install disabled toilets etc).  

We usually give out grants of between a few hundred and a few thousand pounds. 

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The Savoy Educational Trust –  makes grants to educational establishments, charitable and not-for-profit organisations, and relevant industry associations within the UK hospitality industry. The Trust seeks to support projects that are focused on enhancing the education of people through the continued development of their capabilities, competencies, skills and understanding in subjects relating to the hospitality industry. This includes industry competitions and/or scholarships that seek to challenge individuals to achieve within their profession.  The Trustees award grants for a wide variety of initiatives that focus on improving the skills, education and training of those intending to pursue a long-term career in the UK hospitality industry.   

There is no set limit on the amount of grant your organisation can apply for, however, if you are applying for a grant of more than £10,000 you will follow a slightly different application process.  

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The Backstage Trust –  makes grants to registered charities, CICs and those organisations with charitable aims whose activities fall under one of the following headings: 

• Encouraging the involvement of young people in the performing arts 
• Assisting live arts projects (not all in the UK) which encourage community participation, and equality, particularly in under-represented areas 
• Providing support to the arts’ freelance community 
• Encouraging new writing 

There is no minimum or maximum amount you can apply for – typically grants average around £50,000. 

Please click here for more information 

 

Football Foundation  – We’re the charity of the Premier League, The FA and the Government. We deliver outstanding grassroots sports facilities, which means better games and more players – helping transform communities where the need is greatest and impact will be strongest. We’re committed to improving the experience of playing football for everyone who loves the beautiful game. transforming lives and strengthening communities is our ultimate goal and we’re proud to play our part so you can play yours.  From goalposts to changing pavilions, whatever you need the Football Foundation has got you covered. The grant size available depends on the type of investment that the club is applying for. Football Foundation support is generally of up to a maximum of £25,000. 

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Arm Community Fund – Offering grants of up to £3,000 for projects with one or more of the following priorities: community development and engagement; children, young people and families; adults facing life crisis.  We currently have over 70 funds offering grants to Cambridgeshire-based projects that help to improve the quality of life across the county.  Our minimum grant size for organisations is £1,500 and our average is £4,500, but each fund specifies its range of available grant sizes. 

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Cambridge In Need – The fund offers grants of a minimum of £5,000 up to a maximum of £20,000 in a single year (or up to £30,000 over 3 years) for organisations working in the City of Cambridge to reduce need, hardship or distress of people in need. The fund will seek to support applications at the full level of funding requested. 

Projects will be looked on more favourably if they can demonstrate one or more of the following: 

• A sustainable approach to poverty reduction, which means building long-term capacity and resilience, whilst also relieving short-term need. 
• Support for parents and children in need, including early years education. 
• Support for particularly disadvantaged and under-served groups (e.g. people who face inequality because of their race or ethnicity; victims/survivors of domestic abuse; refugees and asylum seekers). 
• Tangible outcomes that would not be possible without this funding (e.g. the delivery of a one-off project which would otherwise not be affordable). 

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The Rowing Foundation is a registered charity. Its purpose is to promote the participation in rowing of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages. 

The Foundation gives grants of £500-£4,000 (up to 50% of the overall cost of the project) to help organisations and clubs involved in on water elements of the sport of Rowing who are individually affiliated to British Rowing (other than via their governing body) and whose requirements may be too small or who may be otherwise ineligible for an approach to the National Lottery or other similar sources of funds. 

Funds are limited and statistically, the Foundation favours giving grants for equipment that will be used on the water and exclusively for juniors and the disabled of all ages.  

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Peter Criddas – We aim to benefit disadvantaged and disengaged young people in our society here in the UK by ensuring our funding reaches those most in need. We achieve our aims and objectives through making grants for charitable work. We want to build relationships with our supported organisations and foster collaboration whenever and wherever
we can. 

The Foundation gives support programmes designed to help disadvantaged and disengaged young people in the age range of 16 to 30, to pursue pathways to Education, Training and Employment with the ultimate aim of helping them to become financially independent. Trustees have Priority Funding Streams to help them achieve the aims and objectives of The Foundation. The Priority Funding Streams shown below take precedence in any funding round. 

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Buttercup Children Trust –  We raise funds to support children under the age of 18 and their families, within the UK, who suffer from a wide range of life-hindering illnesses to include but not limited to, Leukaemia, Deaf, The Blind, Cystic Fibrosis and all other serious or terminal illnesses. 

We aim to help as many children as possible with such things as hospital travel, respite, medical equipment, holidays, travel expenses and if, where achievable, a child’s last wishes.   We do this by making grants and giving funding to help make life easier for the child and their families.   

Please click here for more information  

 

The Pixel Trust – We are focused on the mental health and well-being of children and young adults. We aim to support improvement in mental health by providing grants to charities registered and operating solely in the UK and involved in the mental health and wellbeing of children and young adults. Young adults are those under 26 years old at the start of any granted project or work stream. Where a project includes over 25s we would consider granting an appropriate percentage of the total costs. 

Although we understand the necessity of securing core funding for charities, we wish, if possible, to target our grant-giving to specific projects that will provide a measurable difference to a charity’s users. 

We generally offer first grants of between £2,500 and £5,000. Trustees have a strong preference for organisations with annual income of under £2m. 

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Outdoor Essentials Grant – Through Outdoor Learning, our vision is to help schools nurture an appreciation and respect for the environment, alongside engagement with learning and social and well-being benefits. 

Who do we work with 

We work with schools that are located within easy travelling distance of our Learning Sites, and/or within one of our georgraphical hub areas (currently Cumbria/Lancashire and Gloucestershire). Schools should also score highly against our Eligibility Criteria. This is a sophisticated tool incorporating Free School Meals, Pupil Premium, English as an Additional Language, Special Educational Needs, Education and Healthcare Plans alongside catchment-focused metrics such as the Indices of Multiple Deprivation. 

In this way, we aim to remove barriers to Outdoor Learning, giving young people universal access to connect with and learn about nature, farming and sustainability. 

An award of £500 is offered to Primary and Special Schools and a double award of 2 x £500 (£1,000) to Secondary Schools. Priority will be given to schools with underserved pupils in areas of high deprivation. 

Grants are available for the following options: 

•  Nature & Nurture – school grounds improvements
•  Transport & Travel – transport costs to Outdoor Learning venues
•  Wellies & Waterproofs – outdoor clothing

What can we fund? 

Any UK state-funded Ofsted (or regional equivalent) registered Primary, Middle, Secondary or High School with a higher than average percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals 

Any UK state-funded Special or Alternative Provision School  

Multi Academy Trusts, but applications must be made by the individual schools 

Please click here for more information  

 

Groundworks – Our youth projects are diverse and range from outdoor learning to youth clubs to coaching and mentoring those who need extra support, what unites them is our belief that every young person can play a positive role in their community. Even the most challenging young people deserve support to find their path in life, and we believe that young people are a part of the solution when it comes to tackling issues like plastic pollution, falling biodiversity, and the climate crisis. 

Our services 

• Youth work 
• Personal development programmes 
• Coaching and mentoring 
• Outdoor learning 
• Gang and Serious Youth Violence Prevention 

What We Do: 

• Using the environment: We are experts at harnessing the ideas and passion of young people through outdoor learning, sustainable activism, and environmental projects. 
• Listening to young people: We’re committed to including young people in our initiatives, services, and campaigns, and we make sure that they’re involved and led by them. 
• Social action: We search for practical ways to give young people a greater voice in their communities and help them use their voice to tackle issues that affect their lives and futures. 
• Supporting teachers: Our educational projects help teachers bring the curriculum to life, give additional support to those pupils who need it most, and help those at risk of becoming NEET (Not in education, employment, or training) re-engage their studies or progress into training or work.

An award of £500 is offered to Primary and Special Schools and a double award of 2 x £500 (£1,000) to Secondary Schools. Priority will be given to schools with underserved pupils in areas of high deprivation. 

Please click here for more information  

 

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Last updated: 30 January 2024