# Who funds youth charities in the UK: the funders, their typical grants and how to find yours

BBC Children in Need, the National Lottery, Henry Smith, Garfield Weston, Paul Hamlyn and local foundations fund youth work. Their typical grants from 360Giving data, and how to find who funds peers.

- Author: OpenGrant
- Topic: [Funding by cause](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/category/funding-by-cause)
- Published: 2026-10-26
- Updated: 2026-10-26
- Source sites checked: 2026-10-26
- Canonical URL: https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/who-funds-youth-charities-uk
- Part of: [How to find grants for a UK charity: the complete guide](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/charity-grants-uk)

## Key facts

- BBC Children in Need's open funding programme offers £1,000 to £40,000 on a rolling basis; the median of its 100 most recent grants published to 360Giving was £45,000, 92% of them to registered charities.
- Garfield Weston Foundation's most-used programme names in its recent grants are Youth, Welfare and Faith, with a median recent grant of £20,000 and rolling applications.
- Henry Smith Foundation's 2025 to 2030 strategy names building independence, helping young people move into adulthood, as one of three priorities.
- Paul Hamlyn Foundation has a median recent published grant of £120,000, but only its India Fund was open on OpenGrant on 26 October 2026.
- In Greater Manchester, Forever Manchester has published 2,397 grants with a median of £2,500, 38% of recent ones to unregistered groups.

Youth charities in the UK are funded by a handful of national funders with named youth programmes, BBC Children in Need, the National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston, Henry Smith, Paul Hamlyn and Esmée Fairbairn among them, and by community foundations that fund local youth groups at a few thousand pounds. Because most of these funders publish their grants to 360Giving, you can see what each one typically gives and which of them fund organisations like yours before you apply.

## The funding picture for youth work

The charity register has no single "youth" purpose. Youth charities are classified under education and training (code 102), recreation (116), amateur sport (110) or community development (113), with children and young people recorded as the beneficiary group. That is why OpenGrant's [education theme page](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/theme/education) listed 144 schemes on 26 October 2026 and the [recreation page](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/theme/recreation) only 3: most youth funding is tagged by activity rather than age group. The practical approach is to start from the funders known to fund youth work and from the funders of your peers, rather than from a theme filter.

## National funders with youth programmes

**[BBC Children in Need](https://opengrant.co.uk/funders/bbc-children-in-need)** is the clearest youth funder. Its open programme, [BBC Children in Need: Apply For Funding](https://opengrant.co.uk/opportunities/92b63e91-cc21-477d-8615-34923c2167db), offers £1,000 to £40,000 on a rolling basis. Its published data on 26 October 2026 showed 7,864 grants with a median of £45,000 across the 100 most recent, 92% of them to registered charities and 5% to companies or CICs; the register shows income of £61 million.

**The National Lottery Community Fund** funds youth work through its general programmes, [Awards for All England](https://opengrant.co.uk/opportunities/5bfc35a3-72d1-4843-ba3b-6d56df6ad7d7) (£300 to £20,000) and its national equivalents, and through youth-specific ones in Scotland: Young Start main grants at £20,001 to £150,000 for projects of up to three years that "help children and young people in Scotland build confidence and realise their potential", listed as open on 26 October 2026. One of the most-used programme names in its recent published grants is "Young Peoples Fund - National Grants".

**[Garfield Weston Foundation](https://opengrant.co.uk/funders/garfield-weston-foundation)** names youth among its nine categories, and "Youth" was the most-used programme name in its 100 most recent published grants, with a median of £20,000. It accepts applications all year; see [how to apply to the Garfield Weston Foundation](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-apply-to-garfield-weston-foundation).

**[Henry Smith Foundation](https://opengrant.co.uk/funders/henry-smith-charity)** makes "building independence", helping young people "move into adulthood with confidence, skills and hope", one of its three 2025 to 2030 priorities, and its homepage lists a Career Ready Fund, an Equity in Justice Fund for racially minoritised young men, a Proud Homes Fund for LGBT+ young people and Shout! for youth advocacy among its 2025 funds. None was open to general applications on 26 October 2026; [how to apply to the Henry Smith Foundation](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-apply-to-henry-smith-charity) explains how its programme windows work. Its Holiday Grants, £500 to £3,000 per trip for children aged 13 and under, are a separate, recurring route for youth groups.

**[Paul Hamlyn Foundation](https://opengrant.co.uk/funders/paul-hamlyn-foundation)** has a median recent published grant of £120,000 and 74% of recent grants to registered charities, but only its [India Fund](https://opengrant.co.uk/opportunities/73d3b55a-9423-4df9-aa49-be09cf98ec3a) was open on OpenGrant on 26 October 2026. **[Esmée Fairbairn Foundation](https://opengrant.co.uk/funders/esmee-fairbairn-foundation)** funds children and young people's rights under its A Fairer Future aim, from £30,000 for organisations over £100,000 turnover; see [how to apply to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-apply-to-esmee-fairbairn-foundation).

## Regional and local youth funders

Community foundations are the main source for youth clubs and small projects. [The Gannochy Trust](https://opengrant.co.uk/funders/gannochy-trust) runs a Youth Panel Fund of up to £10,000 for Perth and Kinross, assessed by young people, with a deadline of 6 November 2026; [our Gannochy guide](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-apply-to-gannochy-trust) has the rules. In the South West, Somerset Community Foundation's funds include young carers grants and the Bishop Fox's Educational Fund. Everywhere, the local community foundation's 360Giving data will show how much of its giving reaches youth groups.

### Greater Manchester

[Forever Manchester](https://opengrant.co.uk/funders/forever-manchester) is the community foundation for the ten boroughs. It has published 2,397 grants to 360Giving with a median of £2,500 and a range from £100 to £140,000; 47% of its 100 most recent grants went to registered charities and 38% to unregistered groups. On 26 October 2026 OpenGrant listed no open scheme from it, and its funding page showed the Zuto Make A Difference Fund and the Voicescape Community Fund with March 2026 closing dates, so call its awards team for the current funds. The [North West browse page](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/in/north-west) listed 712 open, rolling and forthcoming schemes on the same day, 30 of them specific to the region, with 71 closing within 30 days; the national funders above all fund Greater Manchester, and the [peers lookup](https://opengrant.co.uk/peers) will show which trusts have funded Manchester youth charities specifically.

## How to find who funds youth charities like yours

1. Run the [peers lookup](https://opengrant.co.uk/peers) on your charity number, or on the number of a youth charity you consider a peer. It finds organisations with similar registered purposes and lists the funders that have published grants to them.
2. Open each funder's OpenGrant page for its register income, typical award, recipient mix and open schemes. A funder whose recent grants are 90% to registered charities is a poor prospect for an unregistered youth club.
3. Follow the GrantNav link to read the grants themselves: amounts, years, descriptions and locations.
4. Check the funder's own site for the current programme and window, then run the [due diligence checks](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/grant-due-diligence-checks) before writing.

Repeat with two or three peers and the same names recur. That list, with typical awards beside each name, is the start of a youth charity's trusts pipeline. For the overlap with mental health funding, which many youth charities also fit, see [which trusts fund mental health charities](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/who-funds-mental-health-charities-uk).

## Frequently asked questions

### Which funders give grants to youth charities in the UK?

The national funders with open or recurring youth funding on 26 October 2026 were BBC Children in Need (£1,000 to £40,000, rolling), the National Lottery Community Fund (Awards for All and, in Scotland, Young Start main grants at £20,001 to £150,000), Garfield Weston Foundation (rolling, Youth programme), Henry Smith Foundation (programmes under its building independence priority) and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (children and young people's rights). Community foundations fund local youth groups at a few thousand pounds.

### How much does BBC Children in Need give?

Its open programme on OpenGrant offers £1,000 to £40,000 on a rolling basis. The median of its 100 most recent grants published to 360Giving was £45,000, across 7,864 published grants ranging from £500 to £3 million, with 92% of recent grants to registered charities and 5% to companies or CICs.

### Who funds youth charities in Greater Manchester?

Forever Manchester is the community foundation for the ten boroughs, with a median published grant of £2,500 and 38% of recent grants to unregistered groups, though it listed no open scheme on OpenGrant on 26 October 2026 and its site showed funds with March 2026 closing dates. National funders such as BBC Children in Need, the Lottery and Garfield Weston fund Greater Manchester youth charities too. OpenGrant's North West page listed 712 open schemes, 30 specific to the region.

### How do I find out which trusts fund youth charities like mine?

Use the OpenGrant peers lookup with your charity number, which finds organisations with similar registered purposes and shows which funders have published grants to them. Then open each funder's page for its typical award and open schemes, and follow the GrantNav link to read the actual grants. This works for youth work because most of the large youth funders publish to 360Giving.

### Is Paul Hamlyn Foundation open to youth charities now?

Only its India Fund was listed as open on OpenGrant on 26 October 2026. Its published grants show a median of £120,000 and 74% of recent grants to registered charities, so it remains a significant youth and arts funder, but check its site for current UK programme windows before planning around it.

## Find grants

- [Education and training grants](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/theme/education) (Markdown: https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/theme/education.md)
- [Recreation grants](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/theme/recreation) (Markdown: https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/theme/recreation.md)
- [Grants in North West](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/in/north-west) (Markdown: https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/in/north-west.md)
- [Grants for charities and community groups](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/for/charities) (Markdown: https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/for/charities.md)
- [Find out who funds organisations like yours](https://opengrant.co.uk/peers)

## Related guides

- [How to apply to the Henry Smith Foundation: programmes open now, typical awards and dates](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-apply-to-henry-smith-charity): The Henry Smith Foundation (formerly the Henry Smith Charity) now funds through named programmes with their own windows. Which are open, who qualifies, what they pay and the dates.
- [How to apply to the Gannochy Trust: who it funds, typical awards and deadlines](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/how-to-apply-to-gannochy-trust): The Gannochy Trust funds registered charities in Perth and Kinross with grants of up to £30,000 a year and more. Who qualifies, what it pays, and the 2026 and 2027 deadlines.
- [Which trusts fund mental health charities in the UK: the funders, what they give and how to find more](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/who-funds-mental-health-charities-uk): Henry Smith, Esmée Fairbairn, Tudor Trust, the National Lottery and community foundations fund mental health work. What each gives, which are open, and how to find the trusts that fund your peers.
- [Grant due diligence: what do funders check?](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/grant-due-diligence-checks): Prepare for grant due diligence with a practical checklist covering organisation records, accounts, named contacts and replies to funder questions.

## Sources and further reading

- [BBC Children in Need: Grants](https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/grants/)
- [Henry Smith Foundation: Strategy 2025 to 2030](https://henrysmith.foundation/strategy/)
- [Garfield Weston Foundation: What we fund](https://garfieldweston.org/what-we-fund/)
- [The National Lottery Community Fund: Funding programmes](https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes)
- [Forever Manchester: Funding and support](https://forevermanchester.com/funding/)
- [GrantNav (360Giving)](https://grantnav.threesixtygiving.org/)

All guides: https://opengrant.co.uk/blog.md · Glossary: https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary.md · Agent index: https://opengrant.co.uk/llms-guides.txt