Youth Endowment Fund Charitable Trust

The Youth Endowment Fund Charitable Trust (YEF), established in March 2019 by the children's charity Impetus with a £200 million Home Office endowment, is an independent UK funder dedicated to preventing children and young people—primarily ages 10–14—from becoming involved in violence. Responding to rising youth violence in England and Wales, YEF's evidence-led mission identifies and scales what works through rigorous funding, independent evaluations, systematic reviews, and movement-building. Its distinctive approach emphasizes transparency, full cost recovery, value for money, and youth involvement via a Youth Advisory Board, while targeting systemic change across seven sectors: education, policing, youth justice, health, children’s services, youth, and neighbourhoods.

YEF funds preventative and diversionary interventions for high-risk groups, including those vulnerable to crime, victims of violence, involved in anti-social behaviour, or facing structural disadvantages like poverty. Priorities encompass violence prevention, youth justice, mental health access, nutrition's role, poverty's impact, and school re-engagement, supporting activities such as peer mentoring, virtual youth work, targeted community interventions, and partnerships. Grants require robust evaluation and primarily benefit 10–14-year-olds.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, CICs, companies, or statutory bodies with proven delivery track records and capacity for evaluation; projects must operate in England and Wales, with one-year grants capped at 50% of prior-year income. No formal income thresholds apply, but organisational scale and risk focus are key.

Typical grants range from £25,000–£100,000 over 12–24 months for project delivery and evaluation (higher for multi-year efforts). The two-stage process (EOI then full application) is rolling when open, with decisions in 3 weeks for smaller grants or quarterly for larger. As of September 2025, the Open Call is paused—no unsolicited applications; monitor the website for reopenings. YEF excludes core/unrestricted funding, capital, and non-evaluated projects, standing out for its scale, authoritative evidence guidance, and dual direct/systemic impact.