Aims/priorities: BBC Children in Need is administering phase 1 of the Youth Investment Fund on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Funding is intended to create, expand and improve local youth facilities and their services, with the goal of driving positive outcomes for young people, such as:
- Improved health and wellbeing.
- Skills for work, employment and life.
The funding is intended to cover capital costs. For this fund, capital is defined as the costs of building improvements, buying equipment (including IT and vehicles) and furnishings.
Grants could cover:
- Installation of Green Energy, such as solar panels, heat pumps.
- Equipment to improve health and wellbeing, eg outdoor gym equipment.
- IT improvements including software, websites, portals, platforms and new IT equipment.
- Improvements allowing greater access to service-users with disabilities.
- Equipment that will expand and enrich youth activities offered by existing providers, eg outdoor sports and activities, kitchen equipment, landscaping.
- Minor facility improvements to improve safeguarding and security for young people, eg CCTV installations, improved building security.
- Purchase of vehicles or mobile units, which could be used for detached youth work or as mobile youth centres.
- Changes to existing spaces, eg provision of music rooms, arts and crafts, IT rooms.
- Conversions of underused space into youth facilities.
All items must be purchased and paid for by 31 March 2022.
Who can apply? The following types of organisation may apply:
- Registered charities.
- Not-for-profit companies.
- Schools (where they provide activities outside of school hours and additional to the curriculum).
- Local Authorities (where they provide youth services).
- Uniformed organisations.
- Exempt charities.
- Sports clubs.
Organisations must be based in a left-behind area of England, as ranked based on a combination of youth need and low provision. A list of eligible areas can be found on the BBC Children in Need website.
Grant amount: Grants of £5,000 to £50,000 are available. Larger applications may be considered if they can be spent by the end of March 2022.
Application process: Full guidelines, FAQs and the online grants portal can be found on the BBC Children in Need website.
Deadline: Phase 1 will open on 31 January 2022 and close on 25 February 2022, or sooner if all funding is allocated.
Contact information: Email cin.yiffunding@bbc.co.uk
Website address: www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/grants