Deadline: 4-Jan-23
The County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF) has launched the #iwill fund to support broader #iwill movement – a collaboration of over 1000 cross-sector organisations and over 300 young people who are united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.
The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £66 million joint investment (£33 million seed funding each) from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.
Aims
- The #iwill Fund looks to support social action activities that create opportunities for young people aged 10-20 to develop their potential and their capacity to significantly contribute to their community. The programme will prioritise young people under the age of 14, as well as young people from socio-economically deprived areas and communities. It will specifically target those scoring lower than 20% on the indices of multiple deprivation and/or those belonging to ethnic groups that have been hit especially hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Social action involves activities such as campaigning, fundraising and volunteering and has huge potential to create enjoyable opportunities and skills development for young people, and in turn benefit the local people and places. Grants of up to £10,000 will be awarded by to groups for projects lasting up to a year; with the aim of funding both groups that are well established but also those that are new and innovative, especially those that can reach young people that are new to social action.
Priorities
The Foundation will prioritise projects that:
- Are working with young people at the younger end of the spectrum (10-14 years old).
- Seek to increase participation from young people from less affluent social economic groups and young people who might not usually take part in volunteering, campaigning and fundraising activities, in particular:
- Young people from socio-economically deprived areas and communities, specifically those scoring lower than 20% on the indices of multiple deprivation.
- Young people in areas of economic deprivation and those ethnic groups that have been hit especially hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Build the appetite of young people to continue with campaigning, fundraising and/or volunteering; support habit forming behaviour; leave a legacy of behaviour/activity after the funding stops.
- Involve young people in consultation, planning, delivery and evaluation.
- Give young people the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their character and confidence.
- Give young people the platform to get their voice heard.
Funding Information
- Grants are between £1,000 and £10,000.
- Projects can be up to a year in duration.
- Grants should deliver campaigning, fundraising and/or volunteering opportunities for young people aged 10 to 20 years old, or up to 25 for people with disabilities.
- Community foundations will prioritise young people between the ages of 10 to 14, as well as young people from socio-economically deprived areas and communities (see priorities section below).
Principles
The Foundation will fund groups that are well established but also those that are new and innovative, especially those that can reach young people that are new to social action. Applications should address some of the 6 principles of youth social action as articulated below:
- Reflective – recognising contributions as well as valuing critical reflection and learning.
- Challenging – stretching and ambitious as well as enjoyable and enabling.
- Youth Led – led, owned and shaped by young people’s needs, ideas and decision making.
- Socially impactful – have a clear and intended benefit to a community, cause or social problem.
- Progressive – sustained, and providing links to other activities and opportunities.
- Embedded – accessible to all, and well-integrated to existing pathways to become a habit for life.
Eligibility Criteria
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This fund is open to registered charities, constituted community groups and other charitable organisations including Social Enterprises and CICs in Tees Valley.
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Organisations operating in Tees Valley.
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National organisations with local branches (with their own management committee and bank account) can apply.
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New organisations that can demonstrate they are financially robust can apply.
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- This fund is open to registered charities, constituted community groups and other charitable organisations including Social Enterprises and CICs limited by guarantee in England.
- National organisations with local branches (with their own management committee and bank account) can apply.
- New organisations that can demonstrate they are financially robust can apply.
For more information, visit County Durham Community Foundation.
