Changes to the Youth Investment Fund Grant Programme

The Youth Investment Fund has been heavily oversubscribed, and we have funded some fantastic projects which will support thousands of young people to have improved mental and physical wellbeing, and skills for life and work. You can find out more about some of the youth service projects funded by the Youth Investment Fund here. You can also find out more about the first Youth Investment Fund grants announced here.

Given the remaining life of the grant programme and the deadline for spending the funds and completing projects, the Youth Investment Fund will soon only accept bids that are seeking to deliver less complex, smaller projects that can be fully completed by 31 March 2025.

We will therefore be closing to applications for the main Youth Investment Fund programme from midnight on Thursday 1 June 2023.

Any application to the main Youth Investment Fund programme must be for completion by 31st March 2025 and plans must be realistic to meet this date.  This includes:

• Having secured appropriate planning permissions
• Having secured suitable ownership/leases
• Providing clear plans which outline the build/refurbishment, including build times and build end dates. This will need to be ratified by professional expertise (for example, quantity surveyors). Social Investment Business is working with construction partners to determine feasibility and we will need to decline applications if we do not have confidence in the construction plans and timescales.

Realistically this means that any major new build project looking to Youth Investment Fund for support will be unlikely to receive funding unless submitted before the application window closes at midnight on 1 June 2023. Make sure you submit your application as soon as possible.

We are particularly keen to hear from organisations within regions which have not received a Youth Investment Fund grant or have a clear need for additional investment.

Please do  use the eligibility checker to see if you can apply. We encourage you to review all requirements before you begin an application. If you have specific questions, you can contact the team at yif@sibgroup.org.uk

If you have already submitted an application, we will assess your application as normal.

We have also opened a small Refurbishment Grant Programme for applications under £150,000 which do not require planning permission. There are two grant windows to make an application to the Refurbishment Grant Programme. The application form will only be available to view and complete during these dates.

• 24 April to 12 May 2023
• 29May to 09 June 2023

You can still read about the criteria and process for making a Refurbishment Grant, including viewing the application questions so you can prepare in advance.