Themed funding round: Pre-employment vocational training

The delivery grant will depend on how many young people we estimate will be required for a viable RCT. We expect the average cost of interventions to be between £2k to £3k per young person, but this is just a guide and not a minimum or maximum figure.

To submit a proposal, your organisation must:

1. be registered in England, and been operating for at least 36 months
2. have an income in the most recent financial year of at least £250,000
3. be willing to participate in a randomised controlled trial (RCT)
4. deliver a pre-employment vocational training intervention (with/without basic skills training) that:

• • is no longer than 12 months in duration
  • is not delivered as part of the universal education system in England or as part of any other statutory provision
  • reaches young people aged 16-25 in England, some of whom are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) or at risk of becoming NEET

The full eligibility requirements are summarised in our application pack.

The application process for this funding round will be in two stages:

1. Initial application – focused on the pre-employment vocational training intervention (with or without basic skills training) that your organisation delivers.
2. Stage two – applicants invited to progress will submit further documentation including a detailed project budget and discuss their application at interview.

Further information is available in our application pack.

Key Dates

• 25 June 2025 – Stage1 applications open
• 31 July 2025 – Stage 1 applications close
• Early September 2025 – Stage 2 applications invited, by selected request
• 30 September 2025 – Stage 2 applications close
• 13-24 October 2025 – Interviews
• 19 December 2025 – Final funding decisions communicated

Applications are managed through the Blackbaud Grantmaking System, which uses the ‘Your Cause Applicant Portal’.

You will need a Blackbaud Account. Follow the on-screen instructions to create a blackbaud account or log in.

We’ve put together guidance on how to use Blackbaud or you can watch our video:

Further support for the online application can be found in our step-by-step guidance to responding to questions.

We recommend that you draft your application using our word template, then submit the finalised proposal via Blackbaud.

Please ensure you meet all eligibility requirements and have read through our application pack and other materials before starting an application.

If you would like to know more about this funding round and ask questions, register for our upcoming webinars:

• • Wednesday 2 July, 11:30 BST – register
  • Wednesday 9 July, 14:30 BST – register
  • Tuesday 15 July, 10:00 BST – register

If your application is successful, you will benefit from:

• A dedicated Relationship Manager as point of contact during the funding term
• An expert independent evaluator, selected by Youth Futures to lead the design and implementation of the evaluation
• A specialist Evaluation Manager who will coordinate working collaboratively and transparently with the external evaluator
• Regular touch points to support set up and delivery of the RCT
• Workshops to understand and refine your intervention Theory of Change
• An impact evaluation developed collaboratively with you and reviewed by an ethics board to ensure it is appropriate and fair to the young people you support
• High-quality insights to take forward