Building Skills for Better Futures Fund
Grants of up to £10,000 are available for activities that help young people up to the age of 25 to build skills to improve their employability prospects and enable them to thrive. Funders are especially interested in projects supporting young people facing additional barriers to education and employment.
This Fund has been developed as a result of the Flourish 2024 findings on what young people in Norfolk are experiencing. This includes young people feeling that it is less important for them to attend school regularly and they are less prepared for the future after leaving school.
Funders are particularly interested to hear from projects supporting young people who are:
- Facing rural isolation
- Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET)
- From disadvantaged backgrounds such as Young Carers, Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Children in Care or Care Leavers, Children from low income families, those with SEND.
Examples of fundable projects include:
- Supporting young people to access educational courses, apply for further education
- Supporting young people with employability skills e.g. CV and cover letter writing and interview prep
- Supporting young people to access volunteering and work placements
- Supporting young people to develop life skills and to live independently e.g. cooking and budgeting
- Supporting young people to build their soft skills to feel able to enter the workplace e.g. confidence, self-esteem and resilience.
Important Information:
Statutory education providers are not eligible to benefit from this funding.
All applicants must meet NCF’s general eligibility criteria.
Outcomes are expected by late April 2026, so projects could expect to begin from May 2026.
Call for Applications
Open
Maximum Grant
£10,000
Deadline
9 March 2026 – 12:00pm
Who can apply?
Charity, Faith organisation, Social Enterprise/CIC, and Voluntary/Community Group
Eligible Area
Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Norwich, and South Norfolk
Find Out More & Apply
Interested? Talk to Jodie and Megan
