The County Durham Community Foundation is seeking applications for its #iwill Fund to support social action activities that create opportunities for young people aged 10-20 (or 25 for disabled people) to develop their character and their capacity to significantly contribute to their community.

Social action involves activities such as campaigning, fundraising and volunteering and has huge potential to create enjoyable opportunities and skills development for young people, and in turn benefit the local people and places.

Priorities

Grants are available to provide organisations the resources and the breathing space to develop services within this new landscape, and to develop a sense of focus and a new realism about what can be achieved for the young people post COVID-19 lockdown. This may include support for organisations aiming to:

• involve young people where possible in planning, delivery and evaluation
• develop ways to re-engage with children and young people
• give young people the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their character and confidence
• give young people the platform to get their voice heard
• provide greater capacity to develop new ways of working especially if social distancing is to continue
• to introduce services tackling health, mental health, grief and loss and to increase social and emotional resilience
• rethink how they deliver services
• engage and increase participation from young people from less affluent social economic groups, and the new ‘hard to reach’
• build the appetite of young people to continue activity and involvement after the funding stops

Funding Information

• Grants of up to £10,000 are available.

Eligibility Criteria

• This fund is open to registered charities, constituted community groups and other charitable organisations including Social Enterprises and CICs
• Organisations operating in County Durham and Tees Valley.
• National organisations with local branches (with their own management committee and bank account) can apply.
• New organisations that can demonstrate they are financially robust can apply.

For more information, visit #iwill Fund.