Youth-focused organisations working in communities in the South and South West of England are invited to apply for grant funding from the Sovereign #iwill Fund.
Sovereign Housing Association has grants of up to £10k available for projects that focus on youth social action, with applications open from Monday 6th February 2023 and closing at midnight on Friday 24 February 2023.
Giving young people a voice in their housing and community future
The Sovereign #iwill Fund is investing a total of £450k until March 2024 in giving young people a voice in their housing and community future.
This is the second round of grant funding the Sovereign #iwill Fund has had available for youth organisations, with £110k shared between 13 projects in 2022.
Panel of 18-25-year-old residents
Sovereign’s Youth panel, made up of 18-25-year-old residents, helps choose which projects are awarded grants. Alongside the Sovereign #iwill Fund grants, Sovereign launched the Sovereign #iwill Youth Network, a learning environment for organisations and young people interested in youth social action.
Organisations can join the Network and attend meetings whether they have been funded through the Sovereign #iwill Fund or not, so they can still access support, training, Innovation Labs and networking.
Sign up for online sessions
Upcoming online events include an information session on the new round of funding on 23rd January.
There will also be an Innovation Lab, hosted by the Foyer Federation, on 25th January, that will support organisations with creating ideas ahead of applications opening for youth social action projects. To sign up to these sessions you’ll need to join the network.
#iwill match funder
Sovereign is acting as an #iwill match funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund through the Sovereign #iwill Fund.
The #iwill Fund 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) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.
Mummery: We’ve seen some amazing youth social action taking place
Daisy Mummery, Sovereign’s #iwill Fund Project Manager, said,
“We’re really excited to be launching our next round of funding.
“We’ve seen some amazing youth social action taking place in the projects we funded through our first round, so we’re really looking forward to funding more projects through this next round.”
Whyman: Giving young people a voice in shaping the future of their communities
Helen Whyman, Head of the #iwill Fund at the National Lottery Community Fund said,
“Thanks to National Lottery players and DCMS, the work of the #iwill Fund continues to have an incredible impact on young people.
“This funding will help give young people in the South and South West of England a voice in shaping the future of their communities.”
For more information and to apply for the Sovereign #iwill Fund grants and Sovereign #iwill Youth Network, please visit the Website.
Image: Sovereign’s #iwill Project Officer Ellie, #iwill Project Manager Daisy and Community Development Officer Stevie meet round one grant recipients Koala Community Hub in Andover. © Martin Cleveland
