The new Youth Justice Sport Fund is a £5 million grant programme that comes with something of a health warning as any grant awarded must be spent by Friday 31st March 2023, leaving a very limited window for the delivery of approved projects. The Fund is being managed by Manchester-based agency StreetGames on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
The Youth Justice Sport Fund will provide grants of up to £20,000 for not-for-profit organisations across England and Wales that engage children and young people aged 10-17 in sport and physical activity who may otherwise be at risk of entering the criminal justice system. Funding is particularly intended for organisations that are currently delivering 'secondary level’ programmes. This broadly refers to those organisations that are working with young people who may be at-risk of entering the youth justice system due to challenging circumstances or additional vulnerabilities.
Examples of possible projects include (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
o Personal development, confidence and skills-building.
o Sports-based mentoring.
o Supporting children so that they can more effectively manage conflict, and
o Team building.
The vast majority of grants are expected to be for around £20,000, with no matched funding requirement. Applicants that require a grant of over £20,000 are requested to contact StreetGames (details below) to discuss their project.
Grants can be used for:
o Core running costs (up to £50% of the total grant).
o Costs associated with the delivery of sport and sport-plus activities such as (please note this is not an exclusive list):
> Equipment (up to 20% of the delivery budget).
> Facility hire.
> Food.
> Monitoring and evaluation.
> Rewards and incentives for young people.
> Staff costs including project management time, coaches, mentors, youth workers, support workers, staff to support group work and 1:1 sessions.
> Training costs for young people/staff.
> Transport costs for referral/to transport young people to sessions, and
> Volunteer expenses.
Applying organisations should meet the following criteria:
o Be engaging with vulnerable or at-risk young people aged 10 to 17 years old.
o Have a proven track record of delivering sport in communities, particularly with children and young people.
o Part of a longer term/established offer or have clear exit routes into existing year-round provision.
o Provide secondary level prevention activities, and
o Work with multi-agency partners from across the local area, or example, in education, children’s services, youth services, youth justice and the police service.
Funding is not available for:
o Companies Limited by Shares.
o Companies with one person with significant control.
o Individuals.
o Organisations not established in the UK and not delivering in the UK, or
o Private businesses.
Further information, guidance and details about how to register and apply to the programme is available on the StreetGames website.
The deadline for applications is Monday 5th December 2022 at 9am, with decisions expected by the start of January 2023. Please note that any grant awarded must be spent by Friday 31st March 2023.
