Aims/priorities: The Fund aims to improve mental health support and provisions for young people and youth workers. The funding is intended to ensure organisations have the resources needed to properly engage with the Thriving Minds programme and implement and instigate learnings to improve their mental health provision.
Funding will support projects that demonstrate commitment towards the following key outcomes:
- Improved community support for young people experiencing mental health problems and improved preventative provision to support young people before they reach crisis point.
- Improved best practises on ways to improve youth workers’ mental health literacy
- Embedding sustainable youth work practises in the youth sector and mental health sector.
Funding is for projects and activities that directly engage with at least one of the following focus groups:
- Young people from racialised communities.
- Young people living in poverty.
- Young people dealing with trauma.
- Young people suffering adversity due to their gender or sexuality.
- Young people living in rural communities.
Funding is unrestricted and can be spent on any aspect of an organisation’s operation. However, applicants must demonstrate how any monies awarded will help their organisation improve mental health support and provision for young people.
Successful applicants must:
- Commit to engaging with the Thriving Minds programme and must actively participate in the core activities of Thriving Minds.
- Commit to a bespoke package of wrap-around support from a menu of options, including but not limited to one-to-one support, online and in-person workshops, training, communities of best practise and residentials held through the three years.
Any funding awarded must be spent and accounted for within 12 months of receipt.
Who can apply? UK-based charitable and not-for-profit organisations with an annual turnover of less than £500,000 that primarily work to benefit young people aged 8 to 25 years can apply. At least 70% of the organisation’s beneficiaries must be aged 8 to 25 years. Applicants working with young people slightly outside of this age range may still be considered.
Grant amount: Unrestricted grants of between £15,000 and £50,000 per year for up to three years are available.
Most annual grants are expected to be between £15,000 and £45,000.
The amount offered will depend on the size of the organisation and the need and suitability for a programme of wraparound support which will be an integral aspect of the grant offer. If successful, this will be the amount offered each year for the three-year term of the grant.
Grants of more than 75% of an applicant’s annual income will not be considered.
Application process: There is a two-stage application process:
- Applicants must register on the UK Youth DoIT platform.
- Applicants can then complete an online application form. The deadline for applications is 20 March 2022 (midnight). It is expected that successful applicants will be notified from 11 May 2022.
Guidance notes, FAQs, and an online application form are available from the UK Youth website.
Deadline: 20 March 2022 (midnight).
Contact information: Email grants@ukyouth.org
Website address: www.ukyouth.org
Further information will be available at information webinars being held on the following dates:
3 March (10:30 – 12:00).
10 March (10:00 – 11:30).
15 March (10:30 – 12:00).
The link to register to the webinars can be found in the FAQs document.