Moneywise - Youth Sector Development Fund

Regeneration & Renewal, 12 September 2008

How much is it worth? £100 million over the next three years.

What's it for? The money is the latest round of funding to be distributed as part of Aiming High: the Government's ten-year youth strategy, which was unveiled in July 2007. Its goal is to help young people, particularly those in deprived areas, take part in activities to develop their skills and raise their aspirations. The Youth Sector Development Fund (YSDF) has been designed to help community groups achieve long-term sustainability. In April 2008, five groups received £27 million of funding. These were Kids Company, Speaking Up, Fairbridge, UK Youth and Leap. They are using the money to expand the work they do in helping young people who face difficult issues such as substance misuse, teenage pregnancy and coping with disability. The aim is to ensure that thousands more vulnerable young people will have access to support. The YSDF will become fully operational later this year and over the next three years, an additional £100 million will be made available. This will include strategic growth funding for organisations seeking to expand services, as well as funding for smaller local groups.

Who is eligible? The DCSF is inviting expressions of interest from organisations that work with the most disadvantaged young people - specifically, those looking to significantly expand existing projects and develop sustainable approaches to the delivery of services.

Who runs it? The DCSF.

- How to apply Applications can be downloaded from www.ysdf.ecotec.com.