Grant News
The National Lottery Community Fund, in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), has launched Phase 3 of the Million Hours Fund, offering grants of £30,000 to £100,000 to expand open-access youth work in areas of England with high levels of antisocial behaviour.
This £19 million programme aims to deliver an additional one million hours of supervised youth activities for young people aged 10–18 (or up to 25 for those with special educational needs or disabilities). The goal is to engage those at risk of antisocial behaviour in structured, inclusive environments that promote wellbeing, safety, and personal development.
Examples of Open-Access Youth Work:
- Drop-in youth clubs
- After-school creative or sports sessions
- Safe spaces for discussion or peer support
- Street-based or outreach youth engagement
Funded activities must support young people to:
- Improve emotional wellbeing
- Develop practical and life skills
- Feel safer and form trusted relationships with adults
Projects must take place in eligible wards identified through police data and be delivered by trusted adults, such as qualified youth workers or trained volunteers.
Eligible applicants include charities, CICs, CIOs, schools, local authorities, and community partnerships. Projects must be youth-led, inclusive, and demonstrate measurable impact.
The funding can be used for:
- staff salaries to deliver this work
- volunteer costs to deliver this work
- training costs
- other direct costs to deliver youth work, like materials, equipment and food
The majority of funding must be spent by March 2026, with full completion required by March 2027. Applications close at 12 noon on 22 October 2025, but may close earlier if oversubscribed (early submission is strongly advised).
Useful Links:
Eligible ward areas for the Million Hours Fund (2025 to 2027)