£6 million covid-19 fund announced for disadvantaged children and young people
BBC Children in Need and Youth Futures Foundation have come together in a £6 million joint fund. The fund will look to support children and young people on their journey towards employment:
- 10 – 18 years old in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- 10 – 24 years old in England
Evidence suggests that disadvantaged children and young people will be most affected by the economic impact of COVID-19. This could range from fewer job or training opportunities in the short term, to disruption in their long-term career progression. The impact of lockdown and prolonged social distancing post-lockdown will have a negative effect on those who are already struggling to gain employment. It will also reduce the opportunity for others to learn skills and gain experiences that will help them gain employment when older.
Inspiring Futures wants to support organisations that are helping children and young people facing disadvantage or discrimination. This programme is open to you, if you are:
- Working with children and young people facing discrimination or disadvantage
- A not for profit organisation
- Working in the UK
Inspiring Futures will support children and young people aged 10-24. The grants will run for a duration of up to 18 months, with awards from £10,000 to £80,000. Wherever possible we want to fund organisations led by people with lived experience of the issues faced by the children and young people they are helping to support.
The programme will fund a variety of projects that help children and young people to build the confidence and skills they need to get jobs and build careers. For example:
- Supporting children and young people towards or into employment, using evidence led approaches wherever possible, which could for example include the following:
- Delivery of positive activities like music, arts and sport that enables the development of work readiness skills and outcomes
- Providing a trusted adult to provide consistent support to help children and young people overcome barriers and achieve their personal goals
- Delivery of personalised vocational, academic or employability skills, enterprise training, job search, or work experience
- Addressing barriers to employment such as mental and physical health problems, and housing issues
- Supporting young people into further education, training or employment that they may otherwise not have accessed
- Supporting young people through the provision of volunteering, work experience, paid jobs and transitioning to permanent work
- Connecting young people directly to sustainable employment opportunities
BBC Children in Need and the Youth Futures Foundation are committed to ensuring that the needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children and young people are specifically addressed as we recognise racial injustice and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on them.
How to apply
All applications must pass our minimum standards, which you will find here. Applications most often don’t get funded because they don’t meet our minimum standards. Information on what a strong organisation looks like can be found here.
We are currently working to make our grant application process more accessible. However, please do let us know if you have any additional needs and we will look to meet them. We want everyone to be able to apply for our funding. We’re committed to being as accessible as possible, wherever we can. If you need help please contact us on 0345 609 0015 or by emailing pudseygrants@bbc.co.uk. This help might include arranging a translator or requesting guidance in other formats.
To find out more, or to apply, please visit the BBC Children in Need or Youth Futures Foundation website. Applications are open from Friday 10th July until 11:30am on Friday 31st July. Please also share this information with any other organisations that will be eligible.
Please contact us on 0345 609 0015 or by emailing pudseygrants@bbc.co.uk if you have any questions, requests, or are unsure if you satisfy our minimum standards.
