Youth Sector Capacity Building Grants

What is the fund?

Grants to strengthen the sustainability of voluntary sector youth organisations operating in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse.

We know that the hardest things to fund in a charity or community group are an organisation’s core costs. We also know that ambitious applications and reporting can use more resources than the fund itself. This is why this fund is an offer of support to help fund those areas of your organisation that are most difficult to fund.

Who is it for?

Organisations who work with young people aged 8–25 years old.

Application Criteria

• A maximum of £3,000 per organisation/service and a maximum of one fund per organisation per financial year
• Your annual turnover is lower than £200k
• All funds must be spent by the end of August 2026
• If you are not already part of the Changemaker Network, we will sign you up so you can continue to be part of the county network and receive ongoing support
• Each organisation must meet the application criteria, and report back to us about how this made a difference and impact

How could you use this money?

Anything that genuinely frees your time from fundraising, builds capacity and skills in your team, and enhances your work with young people, including:

• To support core functions of your organisation, such as fundraising, HR and finance
• Organisation running costs such as rent and utilities, or a fundraising CRM
• To increase your reserves
• To support the skills development of you and your team, such as youth work training, social media training, or a workshop to support frontline staff wellbeing
• Costs directly related to running your activity, such as the promotion of the work
• Small capital costs, such as the purchase of laptops or recording kit

What we cannot fund

• Private individuals, private companies, public regulatory bodies, countywide charities without a local focus, uniformed groups or sports clubs
• Youth work delivery or project work
• Improvements to land or buildings

When do I need to apply?

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis — there is no closing date. The fund will close once all money has been allocated. All grants must be spent by August 2026.

Oxfordshire Youth are here to support you. We offer advice and guidance to help you submit your Expression of Interest, and if you are successful and awarded funding, you will continue to have access to our team, who can offer ongoing support as you deliver and shape your project.