£2 million Youth strand of the Building Connections Fund by Co-op Foundation opens
Eligible charities and community organisations from across England can apply from today (15 August 2018) for up to £80,000 from the Building Connections Fund Youth strand, to expand or enhance their work tackling youth loneliness.
Funding, delivered by the Co-op Foundation, is available for projects that support any groups of young people within the most deprived 30% areas of England.
Grants can also support projects from any location in England that mainly benefit young people with any one or more of the following circumstances:
Please read the guidance notes in full before applying through our online form. The deadline is 26 September 2018.
What is the Building Connections Fund?
The £11.5 million Building Connections Fund is a partnership between Government, Big Lottery Fund and the Co-op Foundation, set up in response to the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness to support projects in England that prevent or reduce loneliness.
The fund is split into two strands: the Main fund and the Youth strand.
You can apply to both strands if you have separate projects that meet the criteria for each, but you can’t apply to both strands for the same project. The Main fund closes on 24 August 2018, so check now if your project might be best suited to apply for this.
Why are we tackling youth loneliness?
Research from Co-op’s campaign to tackle loneliness with the British Red Cross found that young people feel lonely more than any other age group.
Our own research also found that 65% of young people say loneliness is an issue for their age group while UK Youth’s A Place To Belong report spoke to youth workers, 82% of whom agreed that loneliness affects the young people they work with.
Despite this, there is still limited understanding of what would be most helpful for young people affected by, or at risk of, loneliness.
That’s why, as part of the Building Connections Fund, Co-op Foundation is working with Government to build the evidence base and improve practice on youth loneliness.
How will funding be used?
Successful applicants to the Youth strand will receive funding to explore youth loneliness in greater depth, test youth-led innovations within their existing provision, and share their learning as part of the national Belong network.
Organisations can apply for up to £80,000, as follows:
Successful applicants will be announced in December 2018.
Important links:
Learn more about youth loneliness: