The Pears Foundation has donated £10m to UK Youth for a new fund to offer multi-year, unrestricted grants to small youth organisations.
The £10m commitment brings the Pears Foundation’s total support for UK Youth to £19m, making it the youth charity’s largest funding partner to date.
The funding will underpin the UK Youth Fund, which will provide unrestricted, multi-year grants to small youth organisations and outdoor learning organisations.
The fund has been designed to offer flexibility, the Pears Foundation said, enabling organisations to meet core costs, strengthen staff resilience and build the capacity to grow sustainably.
Organisations can apply for grants worth up to 10 per cent of their annual turnover per year, over a grant period of three years.
UK Youth said this approach aimed to ensure the funding was proportional to the size and capacity of the funded organisation.
Grantees will be encouraged to apply the funding where it will have the greatest impact, UK Youth said, whether that is strengthening core operations, supporting sustainability or investing in innovation.
Alongside providing organisations with support to improve their financial sustainability, the fund will also include a capacity-building programme to boost organisational resilience.
The fund is open to youth and outdoor learning organisations with an annual turnover of less than £500,000 that deliver services to young people in eligible areas of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Applicants must have been operating formally for at least two years from the date of their registration. Organisations can find a full list of eligibility criteria on UK Youth’s website.
Expressions of interest will close at midnight on 6 May. This will be followed by an application stage, due to open on 11 May and close on 3 June.
Sir Trevor Pears, executive chair of the Pears Foundation, said: “Having had the great privilege of visiting many of the youth clubs we have funded over the years, I’m always struck by the people behind them – the staff and volunteers who build deep, trusted relationships with young people and create spaces where they feel supported and safe.
“This funding is about backing them. It’s about placing trust in their expertise and judgment. It’s about giving them the flexibility and confidence to keep doing what they do best, while also recognising the immense value of their work and the difference they make in communities every day.”