Aims/priorities: The Learning and Support Grant is intended to fund a single national organisation to deliver a coordinated programme of learning, improvement support, and knowledge-sharing across the Changing Futures initiative. Its purpose is to strengthen delivery across local areas and maximise the impact of system-change efforts by enabling collaboration, building evidence, and supporting more joined-up approaches to addressing multiple disadvantage.
The scheme focuses on providing a coherent and accessible national learning offer that supports local authority-led partnerships at different stages of development. It aims to facilitate shared learning and problem solving across areas, strengthen partnership working across sectors, and ensure that insights from delivery are captured and used to inform both local practice and national policy. A key element is supporting the meaningful integration of lived experience into service design and system change, while also coordinating national activity to reduce duplication and burden on local areas.
The objectives of the grant are to:
- Strengthen delivery and partnership working across Changing Futures areas.
- Facilitate shared learning, problem-solving, and the exchange of effective practice.
- Provide tailored learning and support to partnerships at different stages of system maturity.
- Deliver a coherent, accessible national learning offer for a range of audiences.
- Support the integration of lived experience into delivery and system change.
- Capture, synthesise, and disseminate evidence to inform practice and policy.
- Coordinate national activity to improve alignment and reduce duplication.
- Contribute to long-term system change in addressing multiple disadvantages.
Who can apply? Applications are open to voluntary, community or faith sector (VCFS) organisations, operating in England, and established for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes.
In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate:
- That the grant aligns with the organisation’s core purpose, complements the wider multiple disadvantage system, supporting change, learning and improvement at local and national levels.
- A minimum of three years’ experience of working within, or supporting, the multiple disadvantage landscape, including experience of learning, policy development, system change, partnership working and national support activity relevant to local authority-led delivery.
- An understanding of the policy and delivery context for multiple disadvantage and an ability to keep learning and support offers under review as policy, evidence and local practice evolve.
- Experience of organising interactive in-person learning events and facilitating stakeholder workshops, actional learning sets and mentoring schemes.
Grant amount: Up to £900,000 of revenue funding over three years is available (£300,000 per year).
Application process: The grant prospectus and application form are available on the GOV.uk website.
Deadline: Thursday, 21 April 2026 (2 pm).
Contact information: Email: cfp@communities.gov.uk
Website: Changing Futures Learning and Support Grant: prospectus - GOV.UK