We believe that good mental health is essential for children and young people to thrive, to develop socially and emotionally and to learn. We recognise that far too many children are not able to access support for their mental health especially at the crucial early stage when issues and challenges are starting to emerge. We know that children and young people need support with issues as they begin to emerge or preventing them from developing at all.  

Our funding focuses on improving children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing, at the earliest stage, outside of an active mental health crisis.  

We will not fund: Interventions for an individual who is in an active mental health crisis. This refers to situations where an individual would require immediate or urgent medical attention for their mental health, and intervention from statutory/government services, for instance A&E or an urgent GP appointment.

We recognise that poverty and deprivation is complex and has a profound impact on children and young people’s lives, including mental and physical health, childhood development, education, relationships, and life chances. We know that access to a range of support to alleviate the impact of poverty and deprivation is key including addressing immediate needs, access to developmental and enriching opportunities and experiences, support for physical wellbeing and mental health and activities that address systemic inequity and local needs.   

Our funding focuses on alleviating the impact of poverty and deprivation in children and young people’s lives. This includes addressing basic/immediate needs (as outlined above), access to developmental and enriching opportunities and experiences, improving life chances and opportunities and support for physical wellbeing and mental health and activities addressing local needs.  

We will not fund: Basic needs and material support where they are a sole focus of a project. Our Emergency Essentials programme supports individual children living with severe poverty. 

We recognise that children and young people are affected by inequity and discrimination related to ethnicity, disability, gender, gender identity and sexual identity. That systemic and structural barriers impact physical and emotional development and wellbeing, education, employment, criminal justice, and socio-economic position. We know that these barriers reduce access to opportunities and support, increase exclusion and isolation, impact on mental health and increase risk of poverty, impacting across life chances and wellbeing.  We know that marginalised children and young people need enriching, developmental support and opportunities that address individual and systemic issues.   

Our funding focuses on ensuring that children and young people affected by structural and systemic barriers and discrimination including ethnicity, disability, gender, gender identity and sexual identity have access to the opportunities and support they need. 

We recognise that not all children and young people have stable, safe and happy home lives. Children, young people and their families are affected by a range of issues and challenges including domestic abuse, family breakdown and separation including parent in prison, bereavement, parents with substance/alcohol misuse, caring responsibilities, neglect and trauma. We know that children and young people and their families need enriching and transformational support that addresses safety, physical and emotional wellbeing, relationships and personal and physical development.  

Our funding focuses on ensuring that children and young people experiencing challenges relating to their family get the support they need including young carers, children and young people with experience of care and bereavement.

Areas include: Cambridgeshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Peterborough, Rutland, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, West Midlands (Met County), Worcestershire

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Provide early intervention and preventative mental health support for children and young people living in rural or coastal communities
• Aid employment and/or social mobility opportunities for young people between 11 and 18 years from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Support disabled children and young people to increase social inclusion and independence. We will prioritise those organisations whose core mission statement is dedicated to supporting and advocating for disabled children and young people.
• Support children and young people with caring responsibilities.

Areas include: Greater London

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Support children and families living in unstable, unsuitable or temporary accommodation
• Support young people to overcome barriers to their education and/or supporting skills building and training opportunities
• Offer safe and supportive spaces to LGBTQ+ children and young people.
• Support children and young people with physical and multiple OR profound disabilities
• Deliver youth work interventions focussed on supporting young people affected by youth violence
• Support children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
• Support Young Carers
• Support children and young people with experience of care

Areas include: Durham, East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Tyne & Wear, West Yorkshire

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Deliver early intervention and preventative work to improve the mental health of children and young people.
• Deliver youth work which has a focus on supporting children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing
• Support LGBTQ+ children and young people, particularly organisations who are led by those with lived experience
• Support children and young people from Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Communities.
• Support Refugees and Asylum-seeking children and young people
• Deliver detached youth work in areas impacted by poverty and deprivation to help young people feel safe
• Support disabled children and young people who are also impacted by poverty and deprivation
• Support early years aged children in areas impacted by poverty and deprivation

Areas include: Cheshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Shropshire

• Support Black children and young people, particularly organisations who are led by Black people and communities.
• Support LGBTQ+ children and young people, particularly organisations who are led by those with lived experience.
• Support girls and young women’s wellbeing through targeted youth work that aims to improve confidence and self-esteem.
• Support boys and young men with positive relationships.
• Work with early years aged children to support with family bonding, and opportunities for social interaction and play.
• Deliver detached youth work or targeted youth club activity for children affected by household poverty and deprivation.
• Support children and young people with a parent in prison.
• Support for young carers.
• Support children and young people with experience of care.

Areas include: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex

• Deliver targeted youth work focussed on supporting children and young people from households affected by poverty.
• Support children and young people from LGBTQ+ communities.
• Support for physically disabled children and young people and support for children and young people who have multiple and profound learning disabilities.
• Support for children and young people who are seeking asylum.
• Support for children and young people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
• Support for children and young people with caring responsibilities.
• Support for children and young people who are experiencing bereavement.
• Support for children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
• Support for children affected by life-limiting conditions, life threatening conditions or long-term illness.
• Provide early intervention and preventative mental health support for children and young people living in rural communities or isolated coastal communities.

Areas include: Bristol, Channel Isles, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Provide support for children and young people who are at risk of homelessness or living in temporary accommodation.
• Provide skills building and training opportunities for children and young people experiencing poverty and deprivation.
• Offer children and young people flexible and responsive mental health and wellbeing support. For example, drop-in services or detached support.
• Provide early intervention and preventative mental health support for disabled children and young people.
• Support children and young people from rural and coastal communities experiencing racial inequality
• Provide activities that support disabled children and young people with additional educational needs to overcome barriers to their education.
• Support families with pre-school children around school readiness.
• Support children and young people with experience of care, including transition for care leavers, particularly from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities
• Support children and young people living in complex family situations such as domestic abuse, parents in prison, parental ill health, and parental substance/alcohol misuse.

We will fund Projects and organisations to:

• Enable early intervention mental wellbeing support to marginalised children and young people impacted by poverty.
• Projects and organisations rooted in communities, responding and adapting to local need.
• Engage children and young people impacted by poverty, further affected by inequity and discrimination related to ethnicity, disability and sexual identity.
• Reach children and young people impacted by family instability, including domestic violence, family breakdown, hidden homelessness, parent in prison, young carers, care experienced, neglect and trauma.

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Support children and young people who are or whose families are facing housing insecurity, where this is impacting on their health and future life chances.
• Support children to navigate the challenges of growing up with confidence, positivity, and kindness. Targeting children between 8-13 years old as they make the move between primary and secondary schools.
• Support the inclusion of minoritised communities, especially from South Asian and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
• Support disabled children, especially those who are Deaf or with a hearing or visual impairment or children with a life-limiting condition.

We will fund Projects and Organisations to:

• Offer fun and social connections that are rooted in local communities and accessible to everyone
• Provide accessible, inclusive, community-based projects that address multiple challenges of children and young people affected by poverty and deprivation.
• Deliver detached youth work to reach children and young people in isolated areas of deprivation.
• Support LGBTQ+ children and young people
• Support Black, Asian and minority ethnic children and young people outside the South Wales cities
• Support physically disabled, deaf or blind children and young people
• Support children and young people affected by life limiting or long-term illnesses or conditions

For organisations that are applying to work across two or more UK nations or regions, we will fund services for children and young people who are:

• Physically disabled
• Affected by life limiting or life threatening conditions
• Affected by chronic and rare health conditions

Our UK wide grants panel makes decisions on applications twice per year however you can submit an Expression of Interest at any time. The next decision meeting is due to take place in April 2026. The second 2026 date will be confirmed soon.