THE CO-OP FOUNDATION FUTURE COMMUNITIES FUND (ROUND 2)
Unrestricted grants of up to £30,000 per year for up to 5 years are available to UK not-for-profit organisations with an annual income of under £250,000. All applicants must have the sole purpose of supporting justice-experienced young people to re-engage with their community.
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o Application deadline: the Fund opens to applications today with a deadline of 12 noon (midday) on THURSDAY 12th JUNE 2025.
o Funder: The Co-operative Community Investment Foundation (founded 2002. Charity number 1093028. Total charitable expenditure during the year ended 31 December 2023: £8,824,481 (2022: £5,310,000; 2021: £3,121,245)).
o Who can apply: UK not-for-profit organisations with an annual turnover of under £250,000.
o Key words: Empowering Young People, Criminal Justice System, Training, Employment, Skills Development, Lived Experience, United Kingdom.
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Following Round 1 of the Fund in late 2022, Round 2 of the Co-op Foundation’s Future Communities Fund will open to applications today with a total grant budget of £1,750,000. The Fund has a focus on supporting voluntary organisations who are passionate about helping the Foundation achieve its Future Communities Vision, which has been created by young people.
Unrestricted grants of up to £30,000 per year for up to 5 years (i.e. up to £150,000 in total) are available to UK not-for-profit organisations that can demonstrate the following:
o Experience of building flexible, consistent, positive relationships with young people.
o Experience of developing routes for young people transitioning from the justice system into training and employment.
o Experience of supporting young people to develop skills that help them feel empowered to make positive changes in their lives.
o Lived experience and have justice-experienced young people involved in their governance and/or service delivery.
o Strong, existing relationships with referral agencies to ensure a smooth transition out of the justice system, and
o Support young people to navigate the social stigma which can be associated for those with experience of the justice system.
To be eligible to apply to the Fund, organisations will be expected to meet the following criteria:
o Have an annual turnover of £250k or less.
o Have the sole purpose of supporting justice-experienced young people to re-engage with their community.
o Have two or more unrelated directors or trustees on their Board.
o Mainly support justice-experienced young people aged 10-25 years old, and
o Registered and operate exclusively in the United Kingdom.
The Fund opens to applications on Thursday 15th May with a deadline of 12 noon (midday) on Thursday 12th June 2025.
Further information, guidance and an application form can be found on the Co-operative Foundation website.
Contact details for the Fund are:
The Future Communities Fund
The Co-op Foundation
9th Floor
1 Angel Square
Manchester
M60 0AG
Email: applyfoundation@coop.co.uk