Funding available to help young people support each other as they move in to secondary school
Tuesday 21 January 2020
Grants of up to £35,000 are available for projects that help young people support each other during the move from primary to secondary education.
Funding has been made available from our extended #iwill Fund. Grants should be used to empower young people to lead youth social action projects that help each other during their school transition and improve their wellbeing.
Organisations across England have until midday on Monday 24 February to apply.
We expect to make eight grants in this first round of funding.
Read how Make Some Noise helps young people beat loneliness during the transition to secondary school.
Jim Cooke, Head of the Co-op Foundation, said: “Life transitions, like moving schools, can sometimes be a lonely and unsettling time for young people. As proud partners of the #iwill Fund, we believe that youth social action, such as peer-to-peer support, can help young people build their confidence, skills, friendships and sense of community. Funding available from today will improve young people’s wellbeing as they move schools and offer the chance to experience the benefits of taking action to help others.”
Our #iwill Fund supports the aims of the #iwill Campaign that wants to make social action a part of life for as many 10 to 20-year-olds as possible.
We have already invested £2m into tackling youth loneliness through youth social action. Grants available from today form part of a £3m extension that will also see young people campaign to improve community spaces and support each other during bereavement. Subscribe to our blog to find out first when funding becomes available.
Funding also supports Co-op’s Co-operate 2022 community plan that aims to improve communities’ spaces, skills and wellbeing.
The #iwill Fund is a £40 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund, using National Lottery funding, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. Co-op Foundation acts as a match funder.