Our new Pudsey Next Steps Grants give smaller, community-based organisations access to our funding. We understand that organisations with less infrastructure can be disadvantaged by their capacity when competing for funding against larger organisations. This programme is designed with those organisations in mind.

This funding stream will enable us to better represent the organisations which help Children and Young People across the UK.

Currently, there is no need to apply for a Pudsey Next Steps Grant. If you are eligible, you will be considered when you apply for a Project or Core grant for the first time.

The fund will continue to evolve and change over time as we develop new, innovative and bold approaches to funding. This is currently the first phase of our Pudsey Next Steps Grants programme, and we may make changes to the programme and processes in future phases. Please check our website again in future to see how this fund develops.

These grants can be used for project costs or core costs. This grant programme is open to organisations who:

• • Have not been funded by BBC Children in Need before
  • Have a yearly turnover of £100,000 or under
  • May or may not currently be registered with a regulator (e.g. Charity Commission, Companies House, OSCR etc.)
  • Have strong connections with their community. This could be either a local community, or a community centred around a specific theme
  • May be newly formed, or may not have lots of experience applying to large funders such as BBC Children in Need
  • May need funding or support to develop their organisation before applying for larger sums of money
  • Have, or want to develop, a strong culture of sharing power with children and young people, and can demonstrate the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion throughout their work.

• • Working with children and young people aged 18 years and under
  • Working in the heart of their communities, particularly in times of crisis
  • Putting children and young people at the centre of everything they do, from design to delivery
  • Addressing challenges faced by children and young people, building their skills and resilience
  • Empowering children and young people, and extending their choices in life
  • Keen to keep learning about and developing their work with children and young people
  • Committed to making a difference in children and young people’s lives

Whilst it is not a requirement for this programme, we may look to fund organisations who deliver work in areas highlighted by our National and Regional Plans. We communicate these interests through our National and Regional Plans on our website. This does not mean that we will only fund organisations who carry out work in line with our funding themes, but we will factor this in to our decision making.

• • Organisations who BBC Children in Need have funded before
  • Applications for more than £15,000 per year
  • Organisations with a yearly turnover of over £100,000
  • Organisations who do not meet our minimum standards for grantmaking
  • Work that statutory bodies (such as schools or local authorities) have a duty to fund
  • Educational institutions, including schools, universities, and pupil referral units. Special schools are the only exception; please see our A–Z Guidance for more detail
  • Local government, prisons, or NHS bodies
  • Capital or building projects
  • Projects that promote religion
  • Trips abroad, or other activity taking place outside the UK
  • Medical treatment or research
  • Pregnancy testing or advice, information, or counselling on pregnancy choices
  • Awareness-raising work, except where targeted at children or young people most at risk
  • Bursaries, sponsored places, fees, or similar costs
  • Holidays where there is little or no project involvement
  • Political activity, including party political organisations or direct lobbying
  • Individuals
  • Costs passed on to other organisations (Including ‘Friends of’ groups who are raising money to pass on to affiliated organisations)
  • General appeals or endowment funds
  • Help with budget shortfalls or debt repayments
  • Work that has already taken place – or any costs incurred – before the date we give you a decision (retrospective funding)
  • Projects unable to start within 12 months of the grant award date

Currently, there is no need to apply for a Pudsey Next Steps Grant. If you are eligible, you will be considered automatically when you apply for a Project or Core grant. If you are considered for a Pudsey Next Steps Grant, and are unsuccessful, you will still be considered for the stream you applied for (i.e. Project or Core funding).

You do not need to do anything differently to be considered for a Pudsey Next Steps Grant. You will not know you are being considered for a Pudsey Next Steps Grant, unless you are successful.

Partnership applications for Project or Core funding may be eligible for a Pudsey Next Steps grant. The applicant must meet all Pudsey Next Steps criteria and be the lead organisation in the partnership. (For more information on partnership applications, see our A-Z Guidance and FAQ pages.)

If you are successful in being selected for a Pudsey Next Steps Grant, we will not progress your application for Project or Core funding; however, you will still be awarded the same amount of money for which you originally applied.

We may open this grant for direct applications in the future. The Pudsey Next Steps Grants programme currently has no closing date.

BBC Children in Need commits to fairness and making a positive difference for children and young people. It is our responsibility to embrace a diverse, equitable, and inclusive approach to everything we do. Children and young people are great at this and we need to be too.

We encourage you to contact us with any feedback about our grant-making. We want to be as accessible and supportive as possible for your organisation. This could mean translating our application into another language. We will also speak to you to help clarify any questions.  If you need help to apply, please phone us on 0345 609 0015, or email [email protected].

As we get further on this journey together we will develop to ensure we are an equitable, diverse, and inclusive grant-maker.

We want our application process to work well for you. It’s new to us too, so we’ll be learning and improving as we go. Please let us know if you have any thoughts or suggestions for improving it.

Am y dudalen Cymraeg cliciwch yma.