New funding for children’s & young people’s projects
Proud to be distributing the latest round of #iwill funding in Herefordshire, made possible thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund and DCMS.
Following the successful delivery of the first two phases of the #iwill Fund, Herefordshire Community Foundation (HCF) is pleased to announce a third round of funding designed to encourage children and young people to get involved in social action in the county.
Herefordshire Community Foundation is using its own match-funding to double the resources, making a total of £67,446 available to support local youth projects.
Bridie Sullivan, CEO of Herefordshire Community Foundation explains, “The #iwill Fund will create opportunities for young people to make a difference in their communities through social action, such as campaigning, fundraising, and volunteering. The aim is to help young people address issues which are important to them and give something back to their community. At the same time, they will develop their skills and confidence.“
The #iwill movement brings together cross-sector organisations and young people who believe that all children and young people should have the chance to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities and broader society. The #iwill Fund supports this movement and is made possible thanks to £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Grants of up to £10,000 are available for projects lasting up to a year for participants aged between 10 and 20 – or up to age 25 for young people with disabilities. There will be a particular focus on those in the 10 to 14 age group.
Successful projects will be led, owned and shaped by young people’s needs, ideas and decision making, have a clear benefit to a community, cause or social problem and be accessible to all.
The programme aims to fund both new and well-established groups, and to encourage young people who are new to social action. Herefordshire Community Foundation welcomes applications from a wide range of organisations, from charities and Community interest Companies through to Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and children’s clubs such as wildlife groups, sports clubs, Scouts Association and Girlguiding.
Rosemary Macdonald, CEO of UK Community Foundations commented, “Young people are the future of our communities. By encouraging 10-14-year-olds to get involved in social action and see the benefits for themselves and their communities, we are creating strong foundations for the future.”
This is the third round of #iwill funding that Herefordshire Community Foundation has awarded. Successful past applicants have found the support invaluable, as these beneficiaries explain:
Tamsin Fitzgerald, Artistic Director of 2Faced Dance says, “#iwill is a fantastic fund, it allowed hundreds of young people to shape their own digital dance festival, create new dance work that has gone on to tour the UK and work with professional artists to create short films being presented internationally. It gave a diverse group of young people a vehicle in which to have a voice, experience new opportunities and use their creativity to make change. We would highly recommend community groups to apply for this incredible opportunity.”
Ben Lea, Manager of Close House youth centre in Hereford says, “It’s brilliant for Herefordshire that #iwill funding is available again and we hope that the younger generations will get as much out of it as we know the teenagers do. We always find that being actively part of community life brings so many benefits: young people learn so much and really grow as individuals. It’s a visceral learning experience which goes far beyond the classroom.”
Applications are now open via HCF’s website and will close on 1 November 2022.