Children & Young People Grants & Funding
There are 1506 UK funders offering grants for children & young people charities, with typical awards from £100 to £6,000,000.
The UK has a strong tradition of philanthropic support for children and young people, with hundreds of trusts and foundations dedicated to improving outcomes for under-25s. Funding priorities range from early years education and child poverty relief to youth employment programmes and mental health support for teenagers. Many funders in this space prioritise preventative work — early intervention projects that stop problems before they escalate. Others focus on specific demographics such as looked-after children, young carers, or those not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Geographic focus varies widely: some funders operate nationally while others target specific local authority areas or regions with high deprivation indices. Grant sizes span from small awards under £5,000 for grassroots youth clubs to six-figure multi-year grants for established charities running evidence-based programmes. The sector has seen increased funding since 2023, particularly for digital inclusion and youth mental health initiatives.
Quick Stats
- Total Funders
- 1506
- Grant Range
- £100 - £6,000,000
- Open to Applications
- 44%
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Clear filtersFilters use programme details verified from each funder's own published guidance. Funders we haven't verified yet are listed separately below, never hidden.
Children & Young People Funders
43 of 1506 match your filtersChecked against verified programme data for 443 of 1506 funders. 1063 not yet verified are listed below; 400 that don't fit were excluded.
Access - The Foundation for Social Investment
Verified openMatching programme: Local Access
Access – The Foundation for Social Investment drives systemic transformation in the social investment market, empowering charities and social enterpri...
Arete Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Local Community Grants
The Arete Foundation is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (charity number 1184657) dedicated to promoting social inclusion and empo...
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: London Luton Airport Operations Ltd (LLAOL) Community Trust Fund
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation (BLCF), established in 1999 and registered as a charity in 2001 by founders Geoffrey Farr MBE DL, Sir Samu...
Buckinghamshire Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Heart of Bucks Community Fund
Buckinghamshire Community Foundation, operating as Heart of Bucks, serves as a catalyst for social change by connecting philanthropy to local causes, ...
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: General Funds (applied via the general application form, not fund-specific)
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF), established in December 2003, is an independent local charity dedicated to enhancing quality of life across...
City Bridge Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Climate and Environmental Justice Programme Round One
City Bridge Foundation, London’s largest independent charitable funder and historic owner of five iconic Thames bridges (Tower, London, Southwark, Mil...
Co-Operative Community Investment Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Young Gamechangers Fund
The Co-operative Community Investment Foundation, known as the Co-op Foundation, is the charitable arm of the Co-operative Group, established in 2002 ...
Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Brighter Futures
The Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, an independent grant-making charity founded in 1969 by Sir James Colyer-Fergusson, is dedicated to improving li...
Community Foundation in Wales
Verified openMatching programme: Fund for Wales
Community Foundation Wales, established in November 1998 as a registered charity and company, drives philanthropy to strengthen Welsh communities by c...
Community Foundation North East
Verified openMatching programme: General Application
Community Foundation North East, established in 1988 by local business and civic leaders in North East England, serves as the UK's largest community f...
Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside
Verified openMatching programme: 23 Foundation
Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside (CFLM), established in 1997 as Sefton Community Foundation and evolving into its current form, is ...
Connolly Foundation (UK) Limited
Verified openMatching programme: Old people
The Connolly Foundation (UK) Limited, established in 2004 as the Kathleen and Michael Connolly Foundation and renamed in 2020, is a Bedfordshire-based...
Cooks Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grant Programme
The Cooks Charity, the philanthropic arm of the Worshipful Company of Cooks—a City of London Livery Company with roots in the 12th century—champions e...
Cumbria Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Cumbria Community Foundation Grants
Cumbria Community Foundation, established in 1999, is an independent UK community foundation dedicated to tackling poverty, enhancing quality of life,...
Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust
The Duke of Devonshire's Charitable Trust is a family-led foundation embodying stewardship, heritage responsibility, and community flourishing through...
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Grants
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, established in 1961 by Ian Fairbairn in memory of his wife, is one of the UK's largest independent funders, dedicated ...
Forever Manchester
Verified openMatching programme: CDL Fund
Forever Manchester is an independent charitable foundation dedicated to empowering grassroots community activity and building resilient neighbourhoods...
Francis C Scott Charitable Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grants
The Francis C Scott Charitable Trust, established in 1963 by Peter Scott CBE and Dr Joan Trevelyan in honour of their father—a local philanthropist pa...
Geoffrey Watling Charity
Verified openMatching programme: General Grant Programme
The Geoffrey Watling Charity embodies entrepreneurial generosity, local pride, and civic friendship, channeling resources to vitalize communities thro...
Gibbons Family Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Youth Support Grants
The Gibbons Family Trust advances the education, training, recreation, welfare, and wellbeing of children and young people up to age 25 facing disadva...
Greenham Trust Ltd
Verified openMatching programme: Community Wellbeing Fund
Greenham Trust Ltd, founded in 1997 as Greenham Common Community Trust following the closure of RAF Greenham Common, reinvests commercial income from ...
Hertfordshire Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: HCF Foundation Grants
Hertfordshire Community Foundation is an independent charity dedicated to channeling local philanthropy into grassroots solutions that alleviate depri...
James Knott Family Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Main Grants Programme
The James Knott Family Foundation, known as the Sir James Knott Trust, was established in 1924 by Tyneside shipowner Sir James Knott to honor his sons...
John Moores Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Grants for Merseyside
The John Moores Foundation, established in Liverpool in 1964 by philanthropist Sir John Moores, is a family-founded independent grant-maker dedicated ...
Legal Education Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Emerging Justice fund
The Legal Education Foundation (LEF), established in 2013 from the sale of the College of Law, is an independent UK grantmaker with roots in 19th-cent...
Lincolnshire Community Foundation CIO
Verified openMatching programme: Michael Cornish Core Grants Programme
Lincolnshire Community Foundation CIO, established in 2002, is an independent charity dedicated to tackling social inequalities and fostering thriving...
Livewell Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Small Grants
The Livewell Foundation, established as the charitable arm of a pioneering social enterprise in health and social care, drives transformational impact...
Mercers Charitable Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Older People & Housing
The Mercers’ Charitable Foundation, established in 1983 as the principal grant-making trust of The Mercers’ Company—London’s premier livery company fo...
National Funding Scheme
Verified openMatching programme: DONATE™ Digital Fundraising Platform
The National Funding Scheme is a pioneering UK charity founded to revolutionize charitable fundraising through cutting-edge digital technology, democr...
Nisbet Trust
Verified openMatching programme: Nisbet Trust Grants
The Nisbet Trust is an independent grant-making charity established in 2011 by the Nisbet family, with roots in Greater Bristol through Andrew Nisbet'...
Noel Sweeney Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: The Noel Sweeney Foundation Grants
The Noel Sweeney Foundation embodies the legacy of generosity and community commitment, channeling resources into grassroots initiatives uplifting you...
Northamptonshire Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Randal Charitable Foundation Fund
Northamptonshire Community Foundation, established in the early 2000s, is the leading independent grant-making charity in Northamptonshire, dedicated ...
Quartet Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Express Grant Programme
Quartet Community Foundation harnesses local philanthropy to tackle entrenched inequalities, promote inclusion, and build resilient communities throug...
Richmond Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Partnership Funding
Richmond Foundation, an independent charitable foundation established in 1786 from a royal land donation by King George III and Queen Charlotte, rebra...
Salford Community & Voluntary Services
Verified openMatching programme: Salford Centenary Fund – Large Grants
Salford Community & Voluntary Services (Salford CVS), established in 1919 as part of post-WWI social service efforts and independent since 1973, serve...
Shanly Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: General Applications Fund
The Shanly Foundation, established in 1994 by property developer Michael Shanly as the charitable arm of the Shanly Group, drives practical, hands-on ...
St Giles-in-the-Fields and William Shelton Educational Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Community Investment Grant
St Giles-in-the-Fields and William Shelton Educational Charity is a historic independent grant-maker with 17th- and 18th-century roots from philanthro...
Suffolk Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Central Fund
Suffolk Community Foundation, established in 2005 as one of the UK's 47 community foundations and the largest independent grant-maker to Suffolk's vol...
Tendring Community Voluntary Services
Verified openMatching programme: Sector Sustainability Utility Support Grants
Tendring Community Voluntary Services (CVST), founded in 1973 and incorporated in 2005, serves as the longstanding umbrella charity for the voluntary ...
Torbay Community Development Trust Ltd
Verified openMatching programme: Torbay Council Community Fund
Torbay Communities, rooted in asset-based community development, empowers local voluntary, community, and social enterprise organizations to foster in...
Two Ridings Community Foundation
Verified openMatching programme: Small Grants Fund
Two Ridings Community Foundation, established in 2000 by former Chief Constable David Kenworthy, inspires local giving and channels philanthropic inve...
Walton on Thames Charity
Verified openMatching programme: Community Grants – Small Grants (up to £10,000)
Walton on Thames Charity, known as Walton Charity, is an ancient local foundation with over 800 years of history rooted in the parish of Walton-on-Tha...
Woodsmith Foundation Limited
Verified openMatching programme: Community Grants
Woodsmith Foundation Limited, established in 2012 as the York Potash Foundation and now funded by Anglo American via a unique 0.5% revenue share from ...
1063 funders not yet verified against these filters
We haven't confirmed these funders' programme details yet, so they may or may not fit. Showing the first 10.
Tips for Applying to Children & Young People Funders
When applying for youth-focused grants, demonstrate robust safeguarding policies and evidence that all staff and volunteers hold current DBS checks. Funders expect to see that young people have a genuine voice in project design and delivery — describe how you involve youth in decision-making through advisory panels, co-production workshops, or peer-led activities. Present measurable outcomes tied to recognised frameworks: NEET reduction figures, educational attainment improvements, wellbeing score changes, or progression into employment and training. Make your delivery model age-appropriate, showing that activities and communication methods are tailored to the specific age range you serve rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. Include clear transition planning that explains what happens when participants age out of your programme — how you ensure lasting impact and connect young people to ongoing support. If your work targets specific vulnerable groups such as looked-after children or young carers, reference the evidence base for your approach and any partnerships with statutory services. Strong applications in this space balance ambitious vision with practical, evidence-informed delivery.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Children & Young People Grants
What grants are available for children & young people charities in the UK?
There are 1506+ UK funders offering grants for children & young people charities. These range from small community grants under £5,000 to large multi-year funding programmes exceeding £100,000. Use Fundermatcher to find the best match for your organisation.
How much funding can children & young people organisations get?
Grant amounts for children & young people charities vary widely depending on the funder and project. Typical grants range from £1,000 to over £100,000. Many funders offer multi-year funding for established organisations with a strong track record.
How do I apply for children & young people grants?
Start by identifying funders whose priorities align with your children & young people work. Fundermatcher matches your charity's profile against 1506+ funders to find the best fit. Our AI assistant can then help you draft compelling grant applications.
How to Find the Right Children & Young People Funders
Describe Your Charity
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Which of These 1506 Funders Are Right for You?
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