The UK Youth Fund has reached £13 million, following a £3 million donation from the Julia Rausing Trust, which builds on the £10 million already committed by Pears Foundation. UK Youth is calling on more funders to build on this momentum and commit to long-term investment in the transformative power of youth work and outdoor learning.
The UK Youth Fund provides unrestricted, multi-year funding to small youth work and outdoor learning organisations across the UK. This gives them the flexibility and security they need to deliver life changing support to young people.
The Julia Rausing Trust’s gift comes at a pivotal moment for the youth sector. Fifteen years of sustained cuts to local youth services has left many small, community-rooted organisations under acute pressure. They are competing for a shrinking pool of funding even as demand for their support continues to rise.
For many youth charities, flexible and long-term funding can make the difference between being able to keep their doors open or having to stop or reduce their support – at a time where young people need this support the most.
Yet there are real grounds for optimism. The Government’s new National Youth Strategy – its first in over two decades – has placed youth work at the heart of national policy for the first time in a generation.
And the evidence has never been clearer. Youth work improves mental health, increases educational performance, and improves young people’s employment outcomes. Young people who engaged in youth work as teenagers are more likely to become happier, healthier, and wealthier adults than peers from the same backgrounds who did not have access to youth work.
Against this backdrop of growing recognition of youth work’s life-changing impact, unrestricted and long-term philanthropic funding has never mattered more in helping small organisations deliver life-changing support to young people.
However, some of the most important work is also some of the hardest to fund: small, community-rooted organisations frequently operate with thin overheads and limited capacity to fundraise.
UK Youth is calling on more donors and funders to recognise the value of unrestricted, multi-year support. Unlike restricted funding, unrestricted grants allow organisations to direct resources to where they can have the greatest impact – whether that means keeping services running, responding to rising demand, investing in staff and volunteers, or adapting to the changing needs of young people.
Multi-year funding also gives organisations the security to look beyond the immediate funding cycle, enabling them to plan ahead, build resilience and focus on delivering meaningful, lasting outcomes for young people and their communities.
This £3m donation builds on The Julia Rausing Trust’s longstanding support for UK Youth and its work to strengthen organisations supporting young people across the UK.
Simon Fourmy, CEO of The Julia Rausing Trust, said:
“Small youth organisations play an invaluable role in communities across the UK, providing opportunities, guidance, and support to young people at important stages in their lives. Strengthening these organisations and giving them greater stability is vital to ensuring that support can continue.
“We are very pleased to commit £3 million to the UK Youth Fund, building on Pears Foundation’s significant support. We believe strongly in the value of funders working together, combining resources and experience around shared goals to achieve greater impact.”
Sir Trevor Pears CMG, Chair at Pears Foundation, said:
“When we committed £10 million to the UK Youth Fund, our ambition was not only to support hundreds of outstanding youth organisations, but to make the case for a different way of funding them. We’re delighted to be working with The Julia Rausing Trust, whose generous £3 million commitment means that many more small youth organisations can benefit from the long-term, flexible support they need.
“Having visited many youth clubs over the years, I’m always struck by the staff and volunteers who build trusted relationships with young people and create places where they feel safe and supported. They understand their organisations and communities better than anyone, and we should trust them to decide how funding can be used most effectively.
“We hope this fund will demonstrate what unrestricted, multi-year funding can achieve, and help change the way small youth organisations are valued, trusted and supported.”
Rosie Ferguson, CEO of UK Youth, said:
“Unrestricted, multi-year funding can make a transformational difference to small organisations. It gives them the confidence and flexibility to make decisions based on what will have the greatest impact, rather than being constrained by short-term funding cycles. We are incredibly grateful to the Pears Foundation and the Julia Rausing Trust for their significant investment, belief in youth work and trust in community organisations.
“Small youth and outdoor learning organisations are often closest to the communities they serve and best placed to understand what young people need. Giving them the
freedom and stability to respond to those needs is an investment not only in their organisations, but in the young people and communities they support.”
“UK Youth will keep stiving to secure more funding like this for youth work and outdoor learning, and to make the case to government – nationally and locally – for sustained investment in young people.”
The post Additional £3m grant brings UK Youth Fund to £13 million, boosting unrestricted funding for small youth work charities appeared first on UK Youth.
