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

• Supporting Children and Young People affected by Youth Violence, Exploitation and Harm. We will fund projects and organisations supporting children and young people who are at risk of:
  • • youth violence;
    • criminal or sexual exploitation;
    • harmful online influences, extremist or hate-based ideologies; and
    • harm linked to peer groups, relationships or their wider environments.
• Organisations supporting children and young people affected by domestic abuse. We will be prioritising organisations whose core mission statement is dedicated to supporting and advocating for children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
• Supporting bereaved children and young people with access to proportionate, age-appropriate and trauma-informed support before or after any significant death.
• Community-based work supporting children in their early years from birth to starting school. We are particularly interested in provision that:
  • • improves communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, and readiness for school;
    • strengthens parent-child relationships, parental confidence and the home learning environment;
    • provides inclusive early support for disabled children, children with learning difficulties, including support before or during assessment;
    • reaches families less likely to engage with statutory services, including families in deprived, rural or coastal communities and those facing language, cultural, transport or trust barriers.
      The priority is not intended to fund universal childcare places or duplicate statutory provision.
• Offer safe and supportive spaces to LGBTQ+ children and young people.

Areas include: Greater London

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Support children and families living in unstable, unsuitable or temporary accommodation
• Provide skills development, training and access to employment opportunities for young people facing educational barriers.
• Offer safe and supportive spaces to LGBTQ+ children and young people.
• Work that supports disabled children and young people with complex and/or profound needs, including those with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and learning difficulties.
• Deliver youth work interventions focussed on supporting young people affected by 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

• Targeted projects supporting neurodivergent children and young people in areas impacted by poverty and deprivation
• Projects supporting early years (0-5 years), whose families are facing poverty and deprivation which is impacting on a child’s health and future life chances.
• Projects to help relieve the impact of social isolation in rural and coastal areas with an emphasis on children and young people also impacted by poverty and deprivation
• Targeted work supporting LGBTQ+ young people experiencing poor mental health to improve their wellbeing
• Projects supporting young people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
• Projects supporting young people from Asian communities, particularly organisations who are led by the Asian community.
• Projects supporting Black children and young people, particularly organisations who are led by Black people.
• Targeted projects supporting girls and young women to help them feel safe and supported
• Targeted projects supporting children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
• Projects which focus on healthy relationships for young people displaying harmful behaviour.
• Targeted projects supporting care experienced young people.

We encourage all of our applicants to build in costs for feeding young people during sessions especially in areas impacted by poverty and deprivation and/or delivering during the school holidays.

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

• Provide accessible, culturally sensitive, early intervention and preventative mental health support that meets the diverse needs of children and young people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Provide early intervention and preventative mental health support for LGBTQ+ young people.
• Work that supports disabled children and young people who are also impacted by poverty and deprivation.
• Provide opportunities for young people affected by barriers to employment who are also impacted by poverty and deprivation.
• Support for refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people.
• Support children and young people from Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Communities.
• Support for children affected by life-limiting conditions, life threatening conditions or long-term illness.
• Provide support for children and young people who are at risk of homelessness or living in temporary accommodation.
• Provide support for children affected by child sexual exploitation. (Large grants only).

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

• Support for young children (0-5 years) whose families are affected by poverty which is impacting a child’s health and future life chances.
• Deliver targeted youth work focussed on supporting children and young people from households affected by poverty.
• Provide early intervention mental health support for children and young people living in rural communities or isolated coastal communities.
• Support for children and young people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.
• Support for children and young people from LGBTQ+ communities.
• Support for children and young people who are seeking asylum.
• Support for physically disabled children and young people.
• Support for children and young people who are blind or visually impaired; children and young people who are deaf.
• Support for children and young people with caring responsibilities.
• Deliver targeted support for young people aged 16-18 who affected by barriers to employment; helping them progress into education, training or employment.

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

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Support children and young people living in unstable, unsuitable or temporary accommodation.
• Provide opportunities for children and young people affected by poverty and deprivation to build their aspirations and develop their employability skills.
• Support children and young people’s emotional wellbeing by providing opportunities to have fun, build friendships, and develop positive relationships with trusted adults.
• Enable children and young people affected by discrimination, exclusion, or inequity with access to opportunities and thrive.
• Support wellbeing, inclusion and independence for children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.
• Support children and young people with experience of care, including transition for care leavers.
• Support children and young people experiencing complex family situations to thrive, achieve their potential, and build positive futures.

We will fund Projects and organisations to:

• Improve the life chances of children by strengthening early years support in communities impacted by poverty and deprivation.
• Enable projects and organisations rooted in communities to respond and adapt to the local needs of children and young people living in areas impacted by poverty and deprivation.
• Improve the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people through early intervention, prevention, and relationship-based support.
• Create safe, inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ young people, led by those with lived experience.
• Promote social inclusion, community cohesion, and positive cross-community relations among young people living in communities experiencing segregation and division, or in areas with limited opportunity for cross-community engagement.
• Support Black, Asian and minority communities, including refugee and asylum-seeking children and young people to thrive, feel a sense of belonging and access opportunities that enable them to reach their full potential.
• Improve outcomes for deaf, blind, partially sighted, disabled, and neurodiverse children and young people, particularly those with the most complex needs and those in their early years.
• Enable children and young people, particularly those whose voices are underrepresented, to shape services, systems and decisions that impact their lives.
• Support boys and young men to thrive, fulfil their potential, make positive life choices, be safe online and contribute to their communities.
• Support girls and young women to strengthen their emotional wellbeing, confidence and sense of agency so they can build healthy relationships, exercise positive life choices and overcome barriers to achieving their potential.
• Improve outcomes and provide opportunities for children and young people affected by complex family circumstances (such as domestic violence, family breakdown, hidden homelessness, young carers, care experienced, parent in prison or neglect and trauma) to develop positive relationships with trusted adults, peers and support networks.

We will fund projects and organisations to:

• Support children and young people experiencing family adversity, especially those who are care experienced, young carers, bereaved, or affected by housing insecurity or homelessness.
• Support children aged 8-13 as they navigate the challenges of growing up, helping them build confidence, resilience, positive relationships and emotional wellbeing.
• Support children and young people who experience barriers to inclusion, belonging and opportunity because of racism, discrimination, or their ethnicity, culture, nationality or migration experience.
• Support disabled children and young people, particularly those who are deaf, blind or partially sighted, have physical, multiple or profound disabilities or life-limiting conditions.

We recognise that remote rural and island organisations may support a wider mix of children and young people than projects in more densely populated areas, resulting in difficulties fully meeting our priorities.

We will consider applications from remote rural areas and island communities where they demonstrate that one or more of our funding priorities is a smaller but significant part of the project’s work, and can explain why a more flexible approach is necessary within the rural or island context.

We will fund Projects and Organisations to:

• Engage children and young people affected by poverty in developing the life skills, ambition and motivation to aspire to and build their own positive futures.
• Offer fun and social connections for children (0-13) to provide early interventions to develop good emotional wellbeing
• Support young people (13-18) to address issues around anxiety and emotional wellbeing
• Supporting minority groups in small towns and more rural areas to develop a sense of belonging
• Work that supports deaf, blind, or physically disabled children and young people
• Support children and young people affected by life limiting or specific illnesses or conditions
• Work that supports young carers
• Dedicated support for children and young people housed in domestic abuse refuges where no such services operate or where refuge provision is not suitable for their needs
• Support care experienced children and young people

We define UK-wide delivery as:

• those where the children and young people who benefit live in two or more nations in the UK, or cover a wide geographical area over multiple local authorities/ counties
• and where the activity aims to benefit children and young people across these areas, who may not have a natural ‘community’ around them where they live.

Our definition of UK-wide delivery applications does not include work which is taking place locally but on the border of two nations or regions.

We will fund UK-wide 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
• Affected by learning disabilities or difficulties
• Neurodivergent
• Affected by sensory loss

Our UK‑wide grants panel meets twice per year to make funding decisions. You can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) at any time, however, please be aware that you may experience longer wait times for a decision depending on when your EOI is received.

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.