skip to main content

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: Children and Young People

Archived Adult Education/Learning Age Children (0-12) Communities COVID-19/Coronavirus Education and learning Human rights and equality Human rights and justice People with disabilities Poverty and deprivation Pre-school education School, College and University Social inclusion Social welfare and poverty Un/Employed Young people (13-25) Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane England Fermanagh and Omagh Great Britain Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Large (over £60,000) Medium (up to £60,000)

Overview

Grants support organisations’ core or project costs, including staff salaries and overheads. They have 5 main funding priorites for children and young people grants:

1) Improving support for disadvantaged children and young people

They support work that:

  • Identifies and supports previously overlooked needs of children and young people, and
  • Creates long-term change for young people who face challenges, and
  • Contributes to a shift in the way the public or voluntary sector supports young people.

Applicants must:

  • Show that they are working to advance the sector’s thinking and practice.

They want their funding to:

  • Support learning and improve collective understanding across the sector

Case Study: Active Communities Network

Read more

Case Study: Llamau

Read more

2) The rights of vulnerable children and young people

They support work that:

  • Challenges persistent inequalities, and
  • Aims to change policy, practice and legislation in order to include young people who have been missed out.

Applicants must:

  • Show that their work is driven and shaped by young people themselves.

They want their funding to:

  • Protect the rights of vulnerable children and young people, and
  • Provide investment for ambitious or difficult work that challenges the status quo.

Case Study: The Traveller Movement

Read more

3) Addressing the root causes of low educational attainment and challenging behaviour

They support work that:

  • Identifies and addresses the underlying issues faced by children and young people, and
  • Uses a preventative approach to help stop cycles of disadvantage and work to equip young people for life.

Applicants must:

  • Deliver initiatives on a large scale which are able to challenge inequality in education or social care.

They want their funding to:

  • Support early action that enables young people to achieve their full potential, particularly work which involves families and the wider community.

Case Study: Achievement for All

Read more

4) Empowering young leaders

They support work that:

  • Gives a platform to a wider range of young people’s voices so that more young people are able to influence the world around them, and
  • Empowers young people who are under-represented in decision-making to speak out.

Applicants must:

  • Show how young leaders will have a real chance of influencing change and support young people to ‘speak truth to power’.

They want their funding to:

  • Enable a wider range of young people to shape local or national life.

Case Study: Space Unlimited

Read more

5) Young people leaving care - a focused funding stream (see more information on GrantTracker here)

They only support work towards two outcomes:

  • Young people in and leaving care are more easily able to form healthy relationships that help them make a successful transition to adulthood, or
  • Young people receive a consistently high standard of statutory support that has been informed by their views.

Applicants must:

  • Put care experienced young people at the centre of their work, and
  • Be willing to come together regularly to share learning with others in the funding stream.

They want their funding to:

  • Create greater alignment and coherence in the work of the voluntary sector in ensuring a successful transition to adult life for care leavers.

For more details please see the guidance document available to download here

For details of previous grants awarded visit here