This fund is specifically for work in Weymouth – one grant will be awarded.

 

The deadline for Expressions of Interest was 21st April 2026. You will be contacted by 28 April if you have been invited to make a full application.

 

Lead the Change is a new, three‑year initiative launched by BBC Children in Need, in partnership with Co‑op Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Henry Smith Foundation, Joseph Levy Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Postcode Justice Trust, UK Community Foundations and The National Lottery Community Fund.

The Fund is looking to target communities of young people impacted by xenophobia, racism, and islamophobia.  27 areas (including Weymouth) are eligible to apply for grants – to see the list of areas see the UK Community Foundations webpage.

The programme supports young people to play a leading role in strengthening relationships, fostering understanding and building belonging in their communities.

Research shows that many young people feel disconnected, less heard by decision makers, and increasingly cautious about expressing themselves – especially online, where exposure to harmful or misleading content can be common. Combined with financial pressures facing families and communities, these factors can deepen isolation and weaken young people’s sense of belonging.

Lead the Change responds by investing directly in youth leadership, community connection and opportunity. The programme enables youth‑led projects, creates safe spaces, strengthens relationships across communities, and helps young people build skills, including navigating online information and shaping positive narratives.

1. What the programme aims to achieve

Lead the Change aims to:

• Strengthen community connection and safety
• Empower young people as leaders, storytellers and changemakers
• Support young people to build digital literacy and challenge harmful narratives
• Increase opportunity through skills and leadership pathways
• Build a national movement for youth‑led connection and change

2. Key details

• Grant amount: £123,353 (set amount)
• Grant length: Three years (set length)
• Project grant to support the delivery of work in Weymouth

Applicants will be required to demonstrate the strength of youth leadership and voice within their organisation, relevance to target communities (young people impacted by xenophobia, racism, and islamophobia) and programme aims, safeguarding and trauma-informed practice, capacity to deliver and sustain impact and a commitment to the six principles of high-quality youth social action. We particularly welcome applications from organisations led by people most impacted by xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia.

You can apply if you are already funded by BBC Children in Need or Dorset Community Foundation, but you cannot apply for the same work that is already funded (or any work already funded by another organisation).

You can only apply for and hold one Lead the Change grant.

3. Who can apply:

• Registered Charities
• Community Interest Companies limited by guarantee
• Companies limited by guarantee that have a clear not-for-profit clause in their governing document and clear charitable or social objectives
• Exempted charities

We do not fund national charities, including those with distinct services in Dorset

We define a National Charity as one operating face to face activities in areas outside the South of England. There may be some discretion given by panels if more than 50 per cent of activities are delivered in Dorset and there is a strong local presence and accountability, but we recommend you talk to the Grants Manager before applying (see pre-application support, below). We can fund groups that are affiliated to, or members of a national body if you are financially independent and have independent governance (this means you are solely responsible for your own activities, not the national body). 

To be eligible the organisation must have:

• At least three unrelated people responsible for running the organisation (for registered charities these are your Trustees, for CICs/Social Enterprises these are your Directors)
• A written constitution or set of rules that sets out the purpose and management of the organisation
• A bank account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated signatories required for payments
• An appropriate Safeguarding Policy and EDI policy*

To be eligible the organisation must meet the following:

• Works with children and young people aged 18 years and deliver work in Weymouth.
• Demonstrates strong safeguarding and trauma‑informed practice
• Has annual turnover of no more than £2 million.
• works with children and young people aged 18 years and under, works in the heart of their communities and is trusted by young people
• Puts the voices, experiences and skills of children and young people at the centre of everything they do, from design to delivery
• Demonstrates strong safeguarding and trauma‑informed practice
• Keen to keep learning about and developing their work with children and young people

4. What the programme will fund

Lead the Change will fund work that strengthens local relationships, builds confidence and belonging, and gives young people the tools to lead change.

We are keen to fund organisations that will support young people to drive positive change in their communities informed by local priorities. Projects could include:

• Safe spaces for young people to meet and connect – youth clubs, sports, creative and cultural spaces
• Youth‑led community action and resilience – co‑designed projects, leadership development, intercultural initiatives to bring people together
• Pathways to opportunity – skills development, mentoring, training and connection to training or apprenticeships
• Narrative change and digital literacy – tackling misinformation and disinformation, storytelling and youth-created content

5. What the programme cannot fund

• Core costs (reasonable evidenced overheads are OK as part of the budget for your project)
• Individuals
• Organisations without adequate safeguarding, governance or financial processes
• Companies/CICs limited by shares or any profit making non-charitable entity
• Local authorities, schools, NHS bodies, hospitals, prisons or other statutory agencies
• Housing Associations
• Work that statutory bodies have a duty to fund
• Medical treatment or research
• Pregnancy testing or advice, information, or counselling on pregnancy choices
• Work promoting religion or political parties, or any political activity or direct lobbying
• Political Parties
• Awareness-raising work, except where targeted at children or young people most at risk
• Capital costs for large items, renovations, refurbishments or building projects (small project related capital items are acceptable, but cannot form a significant portion of the budget)
• Bursaries, sponsored places, fees, or similar costs
• Trips abroad or any activity taking place outside of the UK
• Holidays
• Retrospective costs (work that has already taken place, or costs incurred, prior to the grant offer letter)
• Unspecified expenditure
• General appeals, endowments or debt repayment
• Projects unable to start within three months of the grant award date
• Projects already funded through other means
• Any activity that is already being funded through another CF or CIN grant. We cannot fund the same activity twice. All applications should clearly demonstrate that they are either for different work, or for work with a different cohort of children and young people

6. What applicants must demonstrate

• Close alignment with the aims of Lead the Change
• A track record of working within their community and ability to show how their project will create meaningful, measurable change for local children and young people.
• The strength of youth leadership and voice within their organisation (in design and/or delivery and/or governance)
• Relevance to target communities (young people impacted by xenophobia, racism, and islamophobia) and programme aims.
• Safeguarding and trauma-informed practice, capacity to deliver and sustain impact and a commitment to the six principles of high-quality youth social action
• We particularly welcome applications from organisations led by people most impacted by xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia.
• Strong local connections, including lived experience, community leadership, or volunteer involvement from the children, young people, and families they support
• Capacity to deliver safely and sustainably

NB Partnership applications

All applications must be made by one organisation. The lead applicant can work with up to 2 organisations formally (i.e. where organisations will receive some of the grant funds), where they can demonstrate that this approach is the most impactful way to meet the aims of the programme. The lead applicant must be an eligible organisation type, must be co-delivering the work (not simply passing the funds on), and takes full responsibility for adhering to the terms and conditions of the grant including the finance, governance and safeguarding, for the lifetime of the project.

Formal partners should meet the following minimum requirements; a constitution, a minimum of 3 unrelated people running the group, a bank account in the name of the group with a minimum of 2 unrelated people required for payments, and appropriate policies in place.

Applicants can partner informally (i.e. not transferring any funds) with as many other organisations as they wish.

Schools cannot receive grant funds but can be informal collaborators – for example, hosting activities outside lesson times, providing referrals, or co-developing project plans. While schools may benefit indirectly (such as receiving materials to encourage pupil participation outside school), all core services must occur outside regular school hours.

7. Application process

One grant of £123,300 will be awarded.

Stage 1: Expression of Interest (EOI)
Opens: April 1 to April 21, 2026

You will be contacted by 28 April if you have been invited to make a full application.

Stage 2: Full application (invitation only)
Invitations sent to successful applicants by end of April
Deadline to apply is 10th June

You will hear the outcome in mid‑late August.

Pre -application support

Pre-application support is particularly encouraged for groups who have not applied to our grant programmes before but is available for anyone in need of advice about the application process, or if you are unsure whether your project/activity is suitable. Please email our Grants Manager to arrange a 20 minute phone call.

Grants Manager, Ellie Maguire: 01202 138690 / grants@dorsetcf.org

8. If you are funded

You will receive a grant letter and funding agreement by end of August
Projects are expected to start as soon as possible (within 3 months at the latest)
You will join a national learning community and take part in shared learning and youth‑focused activities
We will share monitoring and reporting requirements

*For support with policy development or reviews we recommend you contact one of the local support agencies for voluntary sector groups – Community Action Network offers support to groups in the BCP area. Volunteer Centre Dorset and Dorset Community Action  provides support to groups in the Dorset Council area.

Safeguarding policy – there are helpful online resources such as the Charity Commission’s guidance on Safeguarding and the NSPCC website. New groups or those without any current policy may find it helpful to watch this short video ‘Safeguarding adults in the voluntary sector’  introducing what Safeguarding is and why it is relevant for all voluntary sector groups, no matter how small or who you are working with.

Equality & Diversity policy – we recommend this should include as a minimum: reference to the Equality Act 2010 and explicitly covering all protected characteristics, equal access to services & employment and ways you achieve this, preventing harassment or discrimination and how complaints are dealt with fairly.

In order for us to follow our decision-making process, the information given in your application will be shared with our independent panel members and/or donors as appropriate. Panel members are subject to a confidentiality agreement. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information on data sharing and storage.