The Youth Endowment Fund has today announced that it has offered a total of £6.5m to 130 organisations across England and Wales as part of its COVID-19 grant round.
The funding will help charities, social enterprises, local authorities and youth organisations to re-connect with young people at-risk of being drawn into violent crime and tackle any problems to emerge because of COVID-19.
The Youth Endowment Fund was established in 2019 with a ten-year, £200m endowment from the Home Office to find what works to prevent children and young people from being drawn into violent crime. It funds and evaluates projects across England and Wales and builds support with others to put effective approaches into practice.
Grants from the Youth Endowment Fund will fund a range of new programmes and activities across England and Wales. The work will focus on intervening early and supporting vulnerable young people, aged between 10 and 14-years old. The newly funded activities include the delivery of online and virtual programmes, targeted work in schools and detached youth work.
The Youth Endowment Fund has offered 130 organisations grants ranging in size from £25,000 to £192,000; the average grant offered was £50,000. Of the organisations to be granted funding, 84% (109) are charities or social enterprises and 15% (19) are BAME-led.
One charity that will be benefit is West Rhyl Young People’s Project. It has been awarded £79,000 to expand its youth work across Rhyl, Denbighshire and North Wales.
Hannah Rowan, Project Manager at West Rhyl Young People’s Project, said: “Social distancing and stay-at-home measures have made it even more difficult to identify when a young person is at-risk of being drawn into crime or exploited. Funding from the Youth Endowment Fund will help us reach vulnerable young people who may be hidden from sight or feel uncomfortable seeking help through traditional channels.”
To view the full list of recipients, please click here.
Alongside the funding, grant recipients will also benefit from the chance to learn from one another. This support will be delivered by a consortium of Dartington Service Design Lab, Research in Practice, The Centre for Youth Impact and University of Plymouth. Working with its grantees and learning partners, the Youth Endowment Fund aims to build and share knowledge of the best ways to support vulnerable young people during a time of social distancing.
The Youth Endowment Fund’s COVID-19 grant round was open for four-weeks from the 6th May 2020. In that time over 1,000 applications were made, requesting funding in excess of £54m.
Jon Yates, Executive Director at Youth Endowment Fund, said: “It has been too easy to forget vulnerable young people during this crisis. The pandemic has removed much of the critical support that many of them rely upon – from teachers to youth workers. This funding will help us find the best way to reach and support these young people when they most need it.”
Hamid Patel CBE, Chief Executive of Star Academies and Chair of Grants and Evaluation Committee at Youth Endowment Fund, said: “The challenges and hardships that many of our most vulnerable young people face every day have been exacerbated by COVID-19. The projects we are funding are working innovatively to help them overcome their difficult circumstances and make the most of the opportunities afforded to them. We are delighted to support them in this endeavour.”