This programme is no longer accepting applications – please see our Development and Impact grants programme.

The Inspiring Futures Fund awarded £7 million to 106 organisations working to support young people, such as Friends, Families and Travellers and Prior’s Court. Here’s the full list of those we’re supporting.

INSPIRING FUTURES

The COVID-19 Inspiring Futures programme has been developed in partnership with Children in Need.

We are proud to partner with Children in Need to deliver Inspiring Futures, a £6 million programme to fund positive activities which support children and young people to achieve their potential on their journey towards employment.

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, there were over 760,000 young people not in education or employment in the UK.  There are fears that the economic impact of the pandemic will lead to an additional 640,000 unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds this year alone.

Funding is available for not-for-profit organisations working to improve employment prospects for young people, helping us to achieve our shared ambition to transform young lives by unlocking their potential and addressing the root causes of youth unemployment. 

What is FUNDING AVAilable for? 

Projects should work with young people aged 10 to 24 in England and young people aged 10 – 18 in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland experiencing discrimination or disadvantages which create short- or longer-term barriers to employment, especially those whose journeys towards employment have been further disrupted by Covid-19. 

We want organisations who understand the needs of children and young people and the specific barriers they face to tell us what already works or to identify innovative solutions, which support children and young people as they transition into work using evidence-led approaches. This could include:  

• Delivery of positive activities like music, arts and sport that enables the development of work readiness skills and outcomes
• Providing a trusted consistent advisor to help children and young people overcome barriers and achieve their personal goals
• Delivery of personalised vocational, academic or employability skills, enterprise training, job search, or work experience
• Addressing barriers to employment such as mental and physical health problems, and housing issues
• Supporting young people into further education, training or employment that they may otherwise not have accessed
• Supporting young people through the provision of volunteering, work experience, paid jobs and transitioning to permanent work
• Connecting young people directly to sustainable employment opportunities

Where possible, we would like to fund organisations led by people with lived experience of the issues faced by the children and young people they are helping to support. We are committed to ensuring that the needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic young people are specifically addressed, as we recognise racial injustice and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on those communities.

We expect applicants to identify three positive differences (outcomes) their programme will deliver for the children and young people they work with and demonstrate how these differences support them in their journey towards to employment. 

what funding is available?

The deadline for this programme is 11.30am 31st July, 2020. We expect that this fund will be over-subscribed and only a proportion of applications will be successful. We also know that you need funding quickly and expect to make all decisions by mid-October 2020.

Inspiring Futures

• Level of financial support available: £10,000 – £80,000
• Duration: 12 – 18 months
• Type of support available: Project and organisational costs including planning and development for the future

The deadline for this programme is 11.30am 31st July, 2020. We expect that this fund will be over-subscribed and only a proportion of applications will be successful. We also know that you need funding quickly and expect to make all decisions by mid-October 2020.