Better Youth Spaces

Introductory Webinar

Join us for a Better Youth Spaces webinar at midday on Thursday 10th July 2025 where you can find out more about the fund, how it works, what you’ll need to apply, what the funding can be used for, how the application process works and most importantly your questions about the fund.

What is Better Youth Spaces? 

Better Youth Spaces funds small scale-capital projects of £5k-£100k, including capital equipment, small refurbishments and other capital projects to help youth organisations to better support the young people they work with. The project must meet at least one of the fund objectives: 

1. Improving the reach of activities provided. 

2. Improving the safety of existing youth facilities. 

3. Improve the youth sector’s capacity and quality to deliver a range of enrichment activities. 

4. Funding priority areas on the basis of youth need. 

5. Improving the financial sustainability of youth facilities.

Who is it for?

Youth organisations in England that are not-for-profit, with at least 50% of their provision must be for children/ young people, and a significant proportion must be open access youth provision for children and young people aged 11 to 18 years (or up to 25 years if they have special educational needs or disabilities, are leaving care, or considered ‘at risk’ or vulnerable).  

When will Better Youth Spaces be open for applications?

Our current expectation is that Better Youth Space is likely to open to applications soon, and we will update this webpage with dates as soon as we have them.  We wished to provide advance notice that there will be a short window to apply for grants for refurbishment which will be c.3 weeks from the date we open to applications. This is so that these longer projects can be completed within the timeframe requirements of the Better Youth Spaces fund. Applications solely for equipment can also be submitted as soon as the fund opens and they will be assessed once all of the refurbishment project assessments have been completed.

Am I eligible? 

• Are located in one of the eligible areas, please use our postcode checker to see. In relation to refurbishment projects, the building/land being refurbished must be in an eligible area. In relation to equipment/vehicle projects, the building/land where the equipment/ vehicle will be stored must be in an eligible area.  
• Are not-for-profit; We will only consider applications from: 

• Charities registered with the Charity Commission; 
• Not-for-profit companies (including Community Interest Companies (CICs) and Companies Limited by Guarantee (CLGs) with dividend, asset and mission lock) registered with Companies House; 
• Local Authorities (where they provide youth services); 
• Uniformed organisations***; and 
• Community Benefit Societies***. 

***Note: Uniformed organisations and community benefit societies must provide with their application their governing document and most recent set of annual financial accounts.  

• Are working with children and young people, and at least 50% of their provision is for children/ young people; 
• Are providing a significant offering of open access youth provision for children and young people aged 11 to 18 years. Where the young people have special educational needs or disabilities, are leaving care, or considered ‘at risk’ or vulnerable, we may fund up to the age of 25 years; 
• Have been actively operating for at least two years and have at least one set of annual financial accounts; 
• Have a bank account in the name of the applicant organisation;  
• Have at least two unrelated governing body directors/ trustees/ committee members. 
• Comply with SIB’s Safeguarding Policy
• Can cash flow their project, and can deliver the project, spend the grant and provide eligible evidence of spend within a 1-4 month timeframe (to be agreed during the grant set up). Any applications that do not seem feasible within the timeframes will not be considered. 

Excluded Sectors/ Organisations 

The following sectors and organisations are not eligible for Better Youth Spaces: 

• Schools
• Colleges 
• Universities
• Hospitals
• Multi academy trusts 
• Companies Limited by Shares  

Postcode eligibility checker

Better Youth Spaces is limited to 42 priority locations selection of these based on the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI).

To check if your area is eligible please use our Postcode Eligibility Checker.

How does Better Youth Spaces work?

Applications will be open between July-September 2025 but may be closed earlier if the fund becomes oversubscribed. The assessment window runs between August-November 2025. Eligible applicants will be approved each month to ensure the funding is distributed in a fair and equitable manner.

Eligible Expenditure 

Below sets out what the fund can and can’t pay for. If your application includes ineligible expenditure in the funding request, the application or that part of it will be rejected. 

Eligible Equipment Expenditure 

• One off purchase of equipment needed to improve a facility’s youth offer.  

• Equipment to improve health and wellbeing, such as outdoor gym equipment.  

• IT improvements including websites, portals, platforms and new IT equipment.  

• Purchase of vehicles or mobile units, which could be used for detached youth work or as mobile youth centres.  

• Furnishings which enhance/materially benefit the facility’s provision. 

• Equipment that will allow greater access to young people with disabilities.  

• Equipment that will expand and enrich youth activities offered by existing providers 

• Equipment to improve safeguarding and security for young people e.g. CCTV installations, motion detecting lighting, improved building security.  

• All individual items of equipment must be £2,000 or greater in value. Note: multiples of identical (i.e. the exact same) items with a cumulative value of £2,000 or greater purchased in a single transaction are eligible. 

 
Ineligible Equipment Expenditure 

• Routine maintenance and repair costs of equipment.  

• Like-for-like replacement of existing equipment.  

• IT subscriptions.  

• Individual equipment Items of less than £2,000 in value, including multiples of identical (i.e. the exact same) items with a cumulative value of less than £2,000 purchased in a single transaction 

• Input VAT reclaimable by You from HMRC; 

Eligible Refurbishment Expenditure 

• All invoices must be £2,000 or greater in value 

• Changes to existing spaces, e.g. provision of music rooms, arts & crafts, I.T. rooms. This can include structural changes such as walls to be built/removed, flooring to be altered, additions to be made to the room. 

• Expansion or extension of existing facilities used for youth services/activities. 

• Renovation work where it will expand the capacity or inclusivity of services being offered to young people. A project should not have the sole purpose of energy efficiency improvements however energy-efficient improvements (e.g.: insulation, LED lighting, new heating radiators) would be eligible in these cases as they would be a part of the refurbishment. 

• Improvements that will allow greater access to service users with disabilities.  

• Landscaping of outdoor space, including providing sensory gardens and visually improving the appearance of outdoor areas.

The above purposes of refurbishment work can include: 

• All electrical works. For example: electrical/data installation, fitting new plugs/moving plugs, electrical system testing and upgrading where necessary. 

• Storage Unit improvements – build new or extend existing. 

• Fees for Refurbishment Project Management, Architects, Legal, Structural engineer surveys, Quantity surveyors, contractor overheads and profit 

• Soundproofing 

• Refit Bathroom – Replacement and works involved with such. Only if enhancing and not like for like replacements. 

• Refit Kitchen – Replacement and works involved with such. Only if enhancing and not like for like replacements. 

• Refit other spaces Office – Replacement and works involved with such. Only if enhancing and not like for like replacements. 

• Capital items that may be intrinsic to the refurbishment. For example: Lighting, Drainage, Fencing/Gates, Stud walls and partitions, Utilities connections, Cladding, Signage, Air ducting and ventilation, complying with Health and Safety and Fire Regulations & Security 

Ineligible Refurbishment Expenditure 

• Refurbishment projects that exceed £50k – the total refurbishment project must cost £50k or less on a stand-alone basis, and not have dependencies within a larger & higher costs refurbishment or building project.  

• Invoices of less than £2,000 in value.  

• Input VAT reclaimable by You from HMRC. 

• The grant funding is not for general maintenance and repairs to buildings or land. Unless the following are part of a broader project that meets the fund objectives and are intrinsic to that project, they are Ineligible. 

• Building or internal repairs – for example flooring repairs, roof repairs, window repairs, Lintel repair, Ceiling repairs, rewiring, Damp Works,  

• Immaterial building replacements – for example replacement of access doors, the roof, CCTV, internal doors, ceiling tiles, windows, facias, flooring, guttering  

• Painting and Decorating – for example: wall finishes  

• Servicing and decommissioning: for example, electrical servicing or annual maintenance on items such as heating systems or decommission of units such as air conditioning. 

General Ineligible Expenditure 

• Operating expenses  

• Payment that supports lobbying or activity intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, Government or political parties, or attempting to influence the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action. 

• Using grant funding to petition for additional funding.  

• Input VAT reclaimable by You from HMRC. 

• Payments for activities of a political or exclusively religious nature.  

• Goods or services that You have a statutory duty to provide.  

• Payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector grants. 

• Contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money).  

• Depreciation, amortisation or impairment of fixed assets owned by You. 

• Interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases).  

• Gifts to individuals other than promotional items with a value of no more than £25 a year to any one individual. 

• Entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations). 

• Statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties.  

• Liabilities incurred before the issue of this funding agreement unless agreed in writing by Us.  

• Use in respect of costs reimbursed or to be reimbursed by funding from any other source.  

• Use to purchase buildings or land. 

What documentation do I need to supply with my application?

1) Quotes / Website Listings 
 
All quotes/ website listings must be itemised and dated/ obtained within the last 3 months at the point of application. 

Grantees must upload all quotes/ website listings to their application as a single zipped file. If they are not provided the application will be rejected. 

The grantee must also clearly state in their application their chosen quote/ website listing and their rationale for choosing it. This does not have to be the cheapest provided grantee can provide a clear rationale for their chosen quote.  

 
(i) For Equipment: 

Items up to £10k: We require 1 quote or 1 website listing showing the item and the cost of it. 

Items above £10k and up to £50k: We require 3 quotes or 3 website listing showing the item and the cost of it.  

Items over £50k: We require 3 quotes. 
 

(ii) For Refurbishment 

We require 3 quotes for all works. 

2) Refurbishment applications -additional documentation 
 
We will not accept applications without the following documents. Any organisations suggesting refurbishment work that does not seem feasible in the timelines of the fund or have the appropriate sign off and plans in place to go ahead will not be considered. 

(i) Evidence of ownership of the building/ land (i.e. Title Deeds) or a lease agreement with a minimum of 2 years to expiry at the point of application 

(ii) A photo of the building and space being refurbished. 

(ii) Evidence of all relevant permissions/ consents. Relevant permissions include, as applicable (the list is not exhaustive):  

• Building regs 

• Planning consent 

• Listed building consent 

• Landlord consent 

• Other funder consent 

3) Uniformed groups and Community Benefit Societies -additional documentation 

(i) Governing document. 

(II) most recent set of annual financial accounts. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How were the priority areas selected?

The 42 priority areas (listed below) with selection of these based on the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI).

How many Directors/ Trustees does an organisation have to have to be considered for this fund?

You must have at least two unrelated governing body directors/ trustees/ committee members to be eligible.

What legal structures will this fund consider for applications?

Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO); Company Limited by Guarantee (with dividend, asset and mission lock); Community Interest Company (CIC) Limited by Guarantee; Community Interest Company (CIC); Local Authority; and Uniformed Groups (e.g. Scouts, Guides etc..) and Community Benefit Societies. We don’t accept applications from Companies Limited by Shares or Co-operative Societies.

I am an unincorporated organisation, can I apply?

We can only accept applications from unincorporated uniformed groups, or unincorporated charities registered with the Charity Commission.

We have recently taken on our building and signed a short-term lease. Are we eligible to apply to your fund?

For refurbishment applications you need to have a formal, written lease and the agreement must have a minimum of 2 years to expiry at the point of application to be eligible. Applications for equipment are not subject to this rule.

As part of the application process will you need to see a copy of our Safeguarding policy?

No, but you do need to comply with SIB’s Safeguarding Policy.

Our youth space is used by children from 0-18 years of age at various times of the week, can we apply to Better Youth Spaces?

Yes you can apply. As part of the application process, we do ask how many hours a week of open access youth provision you currently provide for young people, and also how many hours of support are provided to young people aged 11-18 years. We will be prioritising applications where organisations provide higher levels of support to our key groups & age ranges.

We want to apply to complete a small refurb project, do you require quotes for this work at the time of application or once we know if our application has been successful or not?

Regardless of the amount being requested by an applicant (up to a maximum of £50,000) for small refurbishment projects, we require 3 quotes for all works.
All quotes must be itemised, dated and should have been obtained within the last 3 months at the point of application.
You will need to upload all quotes to the application using the fields provided. If these are not provided at the time of application, it will be rejected.
You must also clearly state in your application your chosen quote and the rationale for choosing it. This does not have to be the cheapest, provided you can provide a clear rationale for your chosen quote.

Will you support applications from organisations who are based in listed buildings?

Yes we will, but you must ensure you have all of the relevant building permissions already in place if you are applying for any small refurbishment works (e.g. building regulations, planning consent, listed building consent, landlord consent etc. as applicable). It is your responsibility to ensure you have the consents you need in place, and not having the relevant permissions in place before applying will mean that your grant application/ award will be withdrawn.

Our organisation provides outreach across a number of sites for young people, are we eligible?

When applying for equipment you need to choose the address/ area where equipment/ vehicle(s) will be stored. When applying for refurbishment you need to choose the address/ area of the land/budling. The postcode/ area needs to be in an eligible area, alongside your organisation meeting the full eligibility criteria for the fund.

Can I apply for match funding, or part funding for equipment/vehicles or small refurbishment projects?

No, this fund cannot consider part funding or match funding requests due to the timescales for this funding to be spent. Your application must cover the full costs of the work/ equipment.

Our application has been unsuccessful can we reapply to your fund?

No, if your application has been unsuccessful for your site then you cannot reapply to this fund.

I have made an application to your fund already and we are awaiting a decision, but we would like to apply for funding for another project we run on the same site, can we apply again?

No, you can only apply to the fund once per site.

We have 5 different sites we want to apply for, do we have to make 5 separate applications to your fund?

Yes each application is based on one physical site, so in this instance you would need to make 5 separate applications. Each application would need to ensure it met the full eligibility criteria for the fund and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

How long does it take to complete an application to your fund?

Please allow at least 45 minutes to complete our online application form. You do not have to complete your application in one go, and can save and return to your application at a later date.

Can I apply for a combination of equipment and support for a small refurb project?

Yes, you can apply for both equipment and refurb support, up to a combined total amount of £100,000 per site. However the total cost for refurbishment within your application cannot exceed £50,000. For example: You could apply for £50,000 for a small refurbishment project and £40,000 for equipment. Total ask to the fund £90,000.

Can I apply for items/ work including VAT?

Yes, you should claim for any irrecoverable VAT when applying to fund, but you should not include anything that you will be eligible to recover.