Youth Strategic Investment Fund

This fund is invitation-only

Amount: Up to £550,000
Deadline: Rolling applications 
Duration: 5 years 
Three young girls are standing outside, in conversation
Photo credit: Youth Access

Our long-term offer to support the development, sustainability and impact of organisations that have a track record of working with young people to achieve positive change.

Aim of the fund

The Youth Strategic Investment Fund supports the development, sustainability and impact of youth-focused organisations. All the organisations we support have a strong track record of working with young people to achieve positive change.

Each year, we fund a small number of organisations (2–4) who are already known to the Foundation. Applications are by invitation only. This support is a strategic investment designed to influence the shape of an organisation, the impact of their work and position within the field.

Fund structure

The Youth Strategic Investment Fund provides a five-year, fixed-term investment (of up to £550,000) towards the core costs of an organisation. Each grant also includes a package of tailored and flexible expert support. 

This package of support is designed to resource practical steps towards strengthening organisations – and therefore the impact of their work with young people. Typically, the investment will address strategic developments for the organisation in at least two of the following areas:

  • The quality of the organisation: strengthening their services and consolidating their position as a leading organisation within their field of practice

  • The reach of the organisation: enabling greater engagement for young people in an established service through the development of projects, methods or technologies

  • The scale of the organisation: replicating a project or service through, for example, geographical expansion, social franchising or digital technologies

  • The influence of the organisation: shaping sector-wide practice, advocating for systems change and/​or enhancing policy approaches in work with young people

Fund principles

The Youth Strategic Investment Fund adopts a relational approach. We work closely with funded organisations to identify priorities for development before and throughout the five year programme. The Fund is a bespoke investment tailored to support the complexities of organisational development and an organisation’s ambitions to stengthen their impact.

The following principles underpin the Foundation’s relationship with organisations supported through the Fund:

Who we’ve funded

See the organisations we’ve funded in our database.

Youth Fund

Through our Youth Fund, we want to fund organisations who support young people (ages 14–25) who face challenging or complex transitions to adulthood.

Apply for the Youth Fund

Apply for funding of up to 3 years and £150,000 and find out more about the fund.

Two people are sat on a wooden structure outside, in conversation
Gender Spectrum Collection by Zackary Drucker and Alyza Enriquez. Photo credit: Albert Kennedy Trust 

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Use our fund finder to see which of our open funds might be a good fit.