Young People’s Foundations

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The Young People’s Foundation (YPF) model is the response of John Lyon’s Charity to the ongoing pressures on the Children and Young People’s sector and specifically the issues faced by the voluntary sector in our Beneficial Area.

What are Young People’s Foundations?

Developed in response to the ongoing challenges facing the Children and Young People’s sector, Young People’s Foundations bring together the public, private and voluntary sectors to effect positive change for young people.

Based in their local communities, each YPF’s services are led by their members and based on the needs and assets of their area. Together they share a common goal – to help create and champion a more impactful, co-ordinated and sustainable sector to ensure all young people have access to quality support and opportunities.

They are independent registered charities, membership organisations for everyone at the local level that works with children and young people aged 0-25. This includes businesses, voluntary groups and the public sector all working together to find solutions for children and young people; any local organisation from the local mosque to the fire brigade.

What do the Young People’s Foundations do?

The primary purpose of the YPFs is to support and build capacity in the Children and Young People’s sector. They work strategically to bring different groups together to develop partnership projects and share resources and good practice. YPFs have four key strands to their work:

  1. Facilitating centralised fundraising based on a consortia approach in order to access funding from a variety of sources
  2. They will provide a ‘Venue Bank’ for groups to share and access available sites to run their projects
  3. Distributing a Small Grant fund to member organisations
  4. Organising sector-specific capacity building

Where are the Young People’s Foundations?

Young People’s Foundations currently exist in the following London boroughs. You can find out more by visiting each YPF’s website on the links below:

If you would like any further information or if you have questions about the Young People’s Foundation model, contact Erik Mesel, Senior Grants & Public Policy Manager, at [email protected].

Find out more about the Young People’s Foundations on pages 17-19 of our Annual Report 2017.