Young Westminster Foundation

Young Westminster Foundation (YWF), established in 2017 by trustees Jackie Rosenberg, Rachael Wright-Turner, and Shane Ryan, is a cross-sector membership charity dedicated to ensuring all 54,000+ children and young people under 25 in London's Westminster borough grow up healthy, safe, and happy. It rebuilds the local youth sector through needs-led grants, training, networking, research, advocacy, and partnerships with public, private, and community entities. Core values—partnership, listening, inclusion, and amplifying youth voice—drive its collaborative, culturally competent approach, informed by annual needs analyses and consultations with over 1,000 local young people.

YWF funds youth employability, serious youth violence prevention, mental health and wellbeing, personal development, youth voice, arts, sports, and support for young carers, homeless youth, and those with disabilities. Beneficiaries are children, young people (0-25), and families via projects like Brighter Futures Fund, Holiday Activities and Food Programme, Small Grants Core Funding, Community Solutions Grants, and targeted initiatives for transitions or mental health, including project, core costs (salaries, governance), capital (equipment), capacity building, pilots, and partnerships.

Eligibility is restricted to free YWF member organisations—UK-registered charities and Westminster-based community groups delivering regular youth services with strong safeguarding and governance—prioritising smaller entities under £250,000-£500,000 turnover. Funding targets Westminster exclusively (some mental health extends to Kensington & Chelsea); unsolicited applications from non-members are not accepted. Typical grants range £5,000-£30,000, applied via online forms (e.g., SurveyMonkey for Brighter Futures, open 6 Oct-3 Nov 2025) or Plinth, with 8-10 week decisions; rolling for some like Helping Hands. Distinctively, its membership model, peer-led research, and local authority/business ties enable transparent, accessible support attuned to evolving youth needs, excluding non-charitable or unsafe activities.