Small Grants Fund 2026 - Application Form

Small Grants 

Grant pot: £100,000 per year 

Grant length: 1 year 

As part of the Youth Empowerment Grant Programme, Small Grants provide shorter term funding for projects and activities taking place across the sector, which will be run annually. 

The total grant pot is £100,000 with £50,000 ring-fenced for organisations with a turnover under £250,000. Match funding for smaller organisations comes from John Lyon’s Charity. Organisations are invited to apply for a maximum of £8,000 to deliver their projects and activities with children and young people. Organisations making a significant adaption to support children and young people with SEND can apply for up to £10,000.

Organisations applying for Small Grants will need to demonstrate how they implement a minimum of 1 of the 5 priority areas in the Youth Review, namely:

• Inclusivity

• Learning and employability

• Physical and emotional wellbeing and mental health

• Safe and secure spaces

• Celebrating and strengthening the sector via meaningful partnerships

The grant period will commence from 1 April 2026. Monitoring for this grant will be required at the end of the funded project. 

Young K&C is a London Living Wage funder. We are committed to promoting fairer pay and better wellbeing for workers by requesting the organisations we support to pay staff the London Living Wage. Please ensure this is reflected in your application.  

Please read the grant application guidance and check your eligibility before applying. If you are new to using Plinth, you are encouraged to read the onboarding guide.

The deadline is 11:59pm, Wednesday 28th January 2026. Any applications received after this date will not be considered.