Aims/priorities: The fund aims to increase access to outdoor learning, help young people foster positive relationships with movement and physical activity and develop their socio-emotional and life skills by providing bursaries for up to 27,600 disadvantaged and/or vulnerable young people (aged 11 to 18 and up to age 25 for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)) to take part in outdoor learning activities in England.
Who can apply? Applicants may apply as a single organisation with or without partners, or may alternatively submit a joint application (for example, as a consortium, joint venture, unincorporated association, partnership, or otherwise).
Registered voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations can apply.
To be eligible for the role of delivery partner, applicants must:
- Be able to demonstrate that the project is not for profit.
- Have a robust safeguarding policy.
- Have knowledge and experience of working with outdoor learning organisations
- Have sufficient staff capacity and capabilities to deliver this project in the timeframe set out.
- Have appropriate financial management systems and processes to account for Adventures Away from Home grant expenditure accurately and transparently, such as fraud risk assessments, fraud, bribery, and corruption due diligence, and experience managing counter fraud processes.
- Have experience working with young people and incorporating youth voice into the development of the projects and programmes.
- Have experience in delivering evaluations, including collecting and sharing data from grant recipients.
- Have experience of local partnership development (desirable).
The organisation (or joint delivery body) will also need to pass the DCMS due diligence checks.
The grant award cannot exceed 50% of the applicant organisation's annual income.
Applicants to be a delivery partner must be able to achieve all of the following objectives:
- Distribute bursaries to cover costs of outdoor experiences, ensuring a broad geographical reach across England. This can either be through direct delivery, for example at applicant-owned activity centres, or through onward grants, to outdoor learning organisations to distribute bursaries and deliver outdoor experiences. The delivery partner must be able to distribute all c. 27,000 bursaries either as residential and/or day trips.
- Foster partnerships between outdoor learning organisations and organisations such as youth groups, schools, or Local Authorities to identify eligible young people, and ensure young people receive wraparound support before and after outdoor learning experiences.
- Provide regular reports to DCMS on delivery progress.
- Evaluate the fund in line with objectives.
Grant amount: One grant of around £4.7 million to deliver the fund.
The full £4.7 million of funding needs to be delivered by 31 March 2026.
Grant payments will be made in arrears. Payment in advance is by exception.
Application process: The guidance notes and application form are available on the GOV.UK website.
A clarification meeting will be held on 1 July 2025 (13:00 to 14:00) via Google Meet. Groups who would like to attend should email youthrevenue@dcms.gov.uk
Deadline: Tuesday 15 July 2025, (23:59).
DCMS aims to notify all successful applicants by the week of 11 August 2025.
Contact information: Email: youthrevenue@dcms.gov.uk