What we fund
We want to fund work that helps young people to take part in youth social action. By this we mean supporting them to address the issues that matter most to them and their community. This could include activities like volunteering, mentoring or improving local environments.
We’ll fund work with young people up to 20 years old, or up to 25 if they have additional support needs.
You can apply to:
- give out the funding to others to do this kind of work
- to run activities directly with young people.
Funding priorities
We’ll only fund work that will:
- create opportunities for young people to take social action
- help young people get involved, and stay involved as they grow up
- reach young people who have not taken part in regular social action activities before
- give young people a say in the work you do, and in running your organisation
We’ll also prioritise work that supports young people experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination.
We’ll ask you to tell us about how you meet these priorities when you apply.
What activities we want to fund
We want to fund social action activities that:
- are led by young people
- are challenging enough to help develop young people’s skills and confidence
- improve things they and their community care about
- let young people try something new
- help young people access other useful services and organisations
- can be a regular and meaningful part of a young person’s life
- encourage young people to reflect on what they've achieved
We also hope these activities can inspire others, and improve how society views young people.
Our missions
We’ll only fund work that fits with one of our missions. In your application, we’ll ask you to select at least one mission that your work will help achieve. Here’s more about each of four missions.
Come together
By offering inclusive places, spaces and activities for communities. These could be physical or virtual. We especially want to support communities where people are least able to come together.
Children and young people thrive
By helping them develop positive social and emotional skills.
Healthier
By supporting communities to address health inequalities and helping prevent poor health.
Environmentally sustainable
By supporting communities to:
- engage with climate issues
- have a positive environmental impact
- improve access to quality natural spaces
About #iwill Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund runs the #iwill Fund to help support the aims of the #iwill movement.
All the funding for #iwill Fund 2025 - strand 2 comes from The National Lottery Community Fund. Previous strands were funded by both The National Lottery Community Fund and the UK Government Department for Culture, Media and Sport.