Shaftesbury Young People Trust

Background

Founded in 1843, Shaftesbury Young People has been delivering services for children and young people for over 170 years.

The charity reformed to become a grant-making body, SYP Trust, in 2021.

Objectives of Fund

The funding is intended to achieve the following:

• Reach children and young people who may be disadvantaged due to their physical or intellectual capacity, citizenship status, race, health and life expectancy, sexual orientation or previous criminal activity.
• Reach children and young people who fall between the gaps of high and low attainment and privilege, who are often left without access to opportunities and whose potential is frequently overlooked.
• Encourage organisations to be flexible and creative in their approach, to be bold and try innovative and untested ideas that have the potential to have meaningful impacts and bring young people into their leadership and decision making.

Value Notes

Grants awarded are typically in the range of £5,000 to £10,000.

Who Can Apply

Applications will be accepted from constituted not-for-profit organisations including registered charities, CICs and exempt charities.

Preference will be given to smaller, local community-based organisations with income of up to £1 million per year, with reserves between three to six months annual running costs and where the majority of beneficiaries are within the Greater London boundary.

In addition, SYP Trust will:

• Not typically provide grants to mainstream schools or colleges but will consider organisations which enhance the formal educational offering of their partner institution/s.
• Not favour applications from large statutory bodies such as Hospitals, but will consider charities linked to such bodies where the grant size will make a significant difference to how and if the project runs.
• Consider applications from faith groups as longs as they can demonstrate that they are inclusive of other faiths within the project for which they are requesting funds, and in their workforce.
• Support campaigning organisations, those who act on behalf of communities without a voice or who support people to access the services they need, but which are not actively promoting the interests of any particular Political Party.

Location

Greater London.

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Capital works/improvement processes.
• Organisations or projects without a focus on Greater London (SYP Trust's geographical area of benefit).
• Projects which cannot demonstrate their main beneficiaries will be young people within the age range of 11 to 18 years.
• For profit organisations.
• Organisations which cannot sufficiently demonstrate an understanding of the local area in which they plan to work.
• Organisations which engage with religious conversion.
• Large statutory organisations such as hospitals.
• Large organisations seeking to roll out standard programmes to communities in which they have no previous experience and/or cannot demonstrate how they have established the local need for the service.
• Mainstream schools or colleges.

Eligible Expenditure

Grants are mostly for project-based work, with a contribution to overheads.

The current funding priorities are:

Providing opportunities and encouragement for young people to access learning and employment

Eligible activities include those which:

• Offer work experience/volunteering/work placements that are tailored to the individual’s interests, including for those excluded from education and which widen the normal view of potential employment.
• Provide personalised support to children through the provision of equipment and tutoring, particularly at times of transition or difficulty in their lives.
• Provide work opportunities that are supported and help develop independence, self-care, IT skills and financial management.
• Put young entrepreneurs at the centre of social and networking opportunities that can help them build on their ideas and talents.

Empowering young people to lead the healthiest lives they can

Eligible activites include those which:

• Improve awareness of the importance of personal health and wellbeing and provide practical help with self-care and coping strategies.
• Provide welcoming environments to encourage young people to engage with the facilities and community assets local to them.
• Provide services to creatively engage young people in health and wellbeing on their own timeline and terms.
• Have the potential to help change poor life/health choices and encourage and establish positive life choices.

Engaging young people to feel empowered in their choices, to be able to act independently, and to have a voice

Eligible activities include those which:

• Connect young people with positive role models through activities outside of their family or school and offers skill development such as public speaking or mentoring.
• Encourages take up of volunteering and campaigning opportunities by providing a range of options that suit interests and experience.
• Help young people with inadequate, or without any housing, to build self-esteem and confidence. This could include access to laundry or hygiene facilities to help them sustain regular voluntary or paid work or find a training opportunity that moves them away from the street.
• Provides safe spaces for creative and emotional expression, including digital arts.

How To Apply

There are usually two funding rounds per year.

The application windows run from 1 February to 31 March and from 1 June to 1 September.

Full guidance and an application form can be found on the SYP Trust website.

It is recommended that groups initially call the SYP Trust for an informal discussion of their project and advice before they start work on their application.

Contact the SYP Trust for further information.