Youth Endowment Fund commits £10 million to Black, Asian and other minority-led community groups
Today [30/03/23], the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has announced it’s partnered with The Phoenix Way to distribute £10 million in funding to Black, Asian and other minority-led charities and community groups in England and Wales.
The YEF’s mission is to find what works to prevent children becoming involved in violence and build a movement to put this knowledge into practice. The £10 million investment is part of the charity’s commitments to make sure its funding is accessible to organisations from all communities. This will help ensure its grants reach and benefit children and young people who are disproportionately affected by violence.
Evidence shows that children from Black, Asian and other minority backgrounds are significantly overrepresented in every single stage of the youth justice system. An analysis of racial disproportionalities in remand and sentencing decisions, conducted by the Youth Justice Board (YJB)[1], showed that there were still differences in the way children of different ethnicities were treated. There are more restrictive remand outcomes for Black and Mixed ethnicity children, fewer out-of-court disposals for Black, Asian and Mixed ethnicity children, and harsher court sentences for Black children.
The Phoenix Way is a national collaborative partnership led by The Ubele Initiative. It was established during the Covid-19 pandemic to help Black, Asian and other minority-led organisations to access funding and support. The partnership’s grant-making decisions are driven by panels of individuals who are rooted in the communities they serve. Global Fund for Children will manage the YEF’s funding and administer grants on behalf of the partnership.
Independent research organisations will be appointed to work with The Phoenix Way and a small sample of its grantees. They’ll be responsible for generating learning about the needs of Black, Asian and other minority communities and how best to serve them. This insight will inform the YEF’s future research and funding to find what works to prevent youth violence.
New Children and Youth Emergency Round opens
Part of the YEF’s investment will used by The Phoenix Way’s to co-fund a new £1 million Children and Youth Emergency Round, which opens for applications on 30th March 2023. Funding is available to Black, Asian and other minority-led organisations in England, which support children and young people and are dealing with rising costs. Applicants can apply for grants of £20,000.
Future funding rounds supported by the YEF’s investment, will open in summer 2023 and include multi-year funding opportunities. These rounds will fund Black, Asian and other minority-led organisations in England and Wales, working to prevent children becoming involved in violence.
Peter Babudu, Assistant Director of Research and Youth Understanding at the Youth Endowment Fund, said: “We exist to prevent children becoming involved in violence. If we truly are going to make a difference, we need to make sure that our funding is used in a way that reaches and represents all the children we are here to serve.
“We’re proud to be investing in The Phoenix Way – putting the power to distribute £10 million of our funding into the hands of community leaders who have been working day-in-day-out to address discrimination. By working together, we can make sure every child and young person is supported to flourish, free from violence.”
Yvonne Fields, National Convenor, The Phoenix Way, said: “The Phoenix Partners welcome the Youth Endowment Fund’s £10m investment into the Phoenix Way grant programme and infrastructure support. It will not only make a significant contribution to the achievement of more racially equitable outcomes for Black and racially minoritised organisations but also for the children, young people and families that will be reached. Our partnership aims to act as a catalyst for longer-term transformational change in both grant making practices and infrastructure development. This innovative and exciting opportunity also provides as important platform for mutual exchange and learning at a unique moment in time. We look forward to the journey ahead.”
For further information about The Phoenix Way’s new Children and Youth Emergency grant round, please visit: https://www.ubele.org/our-work/the-phoenix-way