Lead the Change

Lancashire Community Foundation

Award

Amount not published

Deadline

No published deadline

Where

Not stated

Summary

Full details

Lead the Change Home About the fund Lead the Change is a new, three‑year initiative launched by BBC Children in Need, in partnership with Co‑op Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Henry Smith Foundation, Joseph Levy Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Postcode Justice Trust, UK Community Foundations and The National Lottery Community Fund. The programme supports young people to play a leading role in strengthening relationships, fostering understanding and building belonging in their communities. Research shows that many young people feel disconnected, less heard by decision makers, and increasingly cautious about expressing themselves – especially online, where exposure to harmful or misleading content can be common. Combined with financial pressures facing families and communities, these factors can deepen isolation and weaken young people’s sense of belonging. Lead the Change responds by investing directly in youth leadership, community connection and opportunity. The programme enables youth‑led projects, creates safe spaces, strengthens relationships across communities, and helps young people build skills, including navigating online information and shaping positive narratives. Read more about Lead the Change here: Lead the Change Fund Criteria Lead the Change aims to: Strengthen community connection and safety Empower young people as leaders, storytellers and changemakers Support young people to build digital literacy and challenge harmful narratives Increase opportunity through skills and leadership pathways Build a national movement for youth‑led connection and change Specific Criteria Project grants to support the aims and delivery of work in Preston, Blackpool, or Blackburn which meets the criteria set out below. • Applicants should have less than £2 million annual income based on their most recent annual accounts. • Applicants will be required to demonstrate the strength of youth leadership and voice within their organisation, relevance to target communities (young people impacted by xenophobia, racism, and islamophobia) and programme aims, safeguarding and trauma-informed practice, capacity to deliver and sustain impact and a commitment to the six principles of high-quality youth social action. We particularly welcome applications from organisations led by people most impacted by xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia. • You can apply if you are already funded by BBC Children in Need or a community foundation, but you cannot apply for the same work that is already funded (or any work already funded by another organisation). • You can only apply for and hold one Lead the Change grant. What the Programme will fund Lead the Change will fund work that strengthens local relationships, builds confidence and belonging, and gives young people the tools to lead change. We are keen to fund organisations that will support young people to drive positive change in their communities informed by local priorities. Projects could include: Safe spaces for young people to meet and connect – youth clubs, sports, creative and cultural spaces. Youth‑led community action and resilience – co‑designed projects, leadership development, intercultural initiatives to bring people together. Pathways to opportunity – skills development, mentoring, training and connection to training or apprenticeships. Narrative change and digital literacy – tackling misinformation and disinformation, storytelling and youth-created content. Amount available One grant of £123,353 over 3 years. The fund is available in 5 key areas which we cover geographically – Blackpool, Blackburn, Preston, Liverpool, and Southport Please note that only one single grant will be awarded overall to a project delivered in one of the five areas. Applications only need to be for delivery in one of the above areas Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside are a Real Living Wage employer therefore we encourage applications that include staff costs at the current Real Living Wage of £13.45p/h as a minimum. What is it? | Living Wage Foundation Application Process Stage 1: Expression of Interest (EOI) Opens: 1st April 2026 You will have a minimum of 3 weeks to submit your EOI. The closing date will be published when applications open. It may vary depending on the community foundation hosting the fund. The EOI is short. You’ll be asked for basic organisational information, a brief overview of your proposed work, and initial safeguarding confirmation. You will be contacted by 30th April if you have been invited to make a full application. Stage 2: Full Application (Invitation Only) Invitations sent to successful applicants in May. You will have at least four weeks to complete the full application and you’ll be told the deadline when you receive the invite. Full applications ask for more detail about your project, youth leadership, safeguarding, governance, finances and delivery plan. You will hear the outcome in mid‑late August. FAQ If your answer is not included in the FAQ please feel free to contact the team at “Applications@cflm.org.uk“ I already have a grant with BBC Children in Need – can I apply? Yes, but not for the same work. I already have a grant with my local community foundation. Can I apply? Yes, but not for the same work. I have a member of staff in a post that is part funded already. Can I apply for funding for the other unfunded part of the post, so that they can work on my eligible project? Yes – you will need to provide evidence to support this with your application. My organisation delivers work in one of the places but isn’t based there, can I apply? We expect most organisations we fund in this programme to be small community organisations which both work in and are based in the places we are targeting. We will prioritise organisations that meet both of these aims. In places where there are lots of youth organisations that are based in the place directly, an application from an organisation outside of that place is unlikely to be successful. My organisation is not eligible to apply because we are not registered, can we apply via a host? Applications from host organisations will be accepted where this is the most impactful way to meet the aims of the programme, and where there is a demonstrated need for this way of working (for example, a smaller organisation is the only one trusted by a particular community). The host must be co-delivering the work (not simply passing the funds on), take the lead on delivery, and takes full responsibility for adhering to the terms and conditions of the grant including the finance, governance and safeguarding, for the lifetime of the project. My organisation wants to work in partnership with others, can we apply together? All applications must be made by one organisation. One organisation can apply as a “host” to work with up to two other organisations, where they can demonstrate that this approach is the most impactful way to meet the aims of the programme. The host must be co-delivering the work (not simply passing the funds on) and takes full responsibility for adhering to the terms and conditions of the grant including the finance, governance and safeguarding, for the lifetime of the project. The following items cannot be supported via the fund: • Core costs (reasonable evidenced overheads are OK as part of the budget for your project application) • Individuals • Organisations without adequate safeguarding, governance or financial processes • Companies limited by shares or any profit making non-charitable entity • Local authorities, schools, NHS bodies, hospitals, prisons or other statutory agencies • Housing Associations • CICs limited by Shares (or any non-charitable CIC) • Work that statutory bodies have a duty to fund • Medical treatment or research • Pregnancy testing or advice, information, or counselling on pregnancy choices • Work promoting religion or political parties