Suffolk Futures Fund

The Suffolk Futures Fund has been created to mark Suffolk Community Foundation’s 20th anniversary. It will support initiatives working with young people and young adults aged 16–25, especially those facing additional challenges and identified as marginalised, excluded, or underserved. We have around £300,000 to award and all funding will be allocated this financial year, after which the fund will close.

Fund Aim

The aim of the Suffolk Futures Fund is to improve their life chances and overall wellbeing of targeted young people through one or more of the following approaches:

• Building Supportive Environments – Creating safe, inclusive spaces and strong support networks including through role models, mentoring or peer led initiatives.
• Developing Emotional Wellbeing – Enhancing mental health, resilience, and emotional literacy.
• Encouraging Self-Care and Awareness – Promoting healthy lifestyles, self-awareness, and personal growth.
• Fostering Practical Skills – Equipping young people with life and employability skills.

Funding Priorities

The fund will prioritise applications that contribute to one or more of the below funding priorities;

• Strengthen the resilience, confidence and life skills of young people to support transitions into employment/self-employment, further education, training, apprenticeships, or volunteering
• Promote a sense of wellbeing, belonging, safety, and the ability to build healthy relationships within society
• Address specific issues of concern around young people within the community by focusing on their prevention either directly or through early intervention, to avoid poor decisions and crisis
• Projects located in areas of higher deprivation or higher levels of crime/ASB.

Critical Needs

The Suffolk Futures Fund recognises that many different types of young people may benefit from this fund and therefore does not prescribe criteria about the groups of people it hopes to support. The fund is open and inclusive to all. However, through our in-depth consultation with our sector-based partners, some groups of young people that might have critical needs have been identified and are listed below:

• School refusers/avoidance/exclusion/home educated young people
• Care leavers
• Young people with a lack of support at an early stage in their lives
• Young people with a lack of aspiration, ambition or motivation
• Young people with a lack of resilience, social skills and readiness for work
• Young people with a lack of skills, training or experience needed for secure employment or education

This is not an exhaustive list and applications aiming to reach a diverse range of vulnerable young people are welcomed.

The Panel will look very favourably on:

• Organisations working in collaboration or partnership with others including employers
• Projects involving mentors or peer led initiatives
• Sustainable projects
• Match funded activities.

In keeping with IVAR principles we will be asking organisations to submit an Expression of Interest for consideration in advance of requesting full applications for those shortlisted.

• Single year grants – up to £10,000
• Multiyear grants – up to £30,000 for a maximum three-year grant (or £20,000 for 2 years) are available. The proportion of the grant requested in each year can vary, but the activity and impact of the grant needs to be sustained throughout the grant period.
• Emergency funding – small pots of emergency funding may also be available to support the same project (in addition to the funding applied for). This can be used to support immediate needs of young people your project supports (e.g. work wear, transport prior to first salary, college equipment).

Who can apply?

• Charitable and Voluntary groups
• Faith and Community groups
• Social enterprises that are addressing need within Suffolk

What can be funded?

• Existing projects
• New innovative projects
• Core costs, project costs, organisational overheads and reasonable capital costs (if an essential element of a project)
• Youth worker training
• Full cost recovery

Timeline:

• Expressions of Interest accepted from 15 September – 24 October 2025
• Full applications invited from shortlisted organisations 10 November – 12 December 2025
• Decisions expected by end of January 2026

Impact indicators

Impact indicators are the specific, measurable things that you track which allow you to assess the significant changes and effectiveness (the impact) of your intervention. These help you to assess if your intended objectives and aims are being achieved and help you to learn from and, if necessary, modify your work.  

All applications must address and report on indicators A. & B. below. In addition, you need to choose between 1 and 3 additional indicators to report on (between 3 and 5 indicators in total).  Data supporting these indicators will need to be collected from the onset of the project and reported annually to show distance travelled.  Data needs to be both qualitative (description of the change) and quantitative (% of your participants/how many). You may decide how to collect this data and may rephrase the question to suit your project and participants.

A. Participants felt they had improved confidence, self-esteem or resilience

B. Participants felt they had improved life chances or brighter futures

C. Participants feel safer in their environment/community

D. Participants have improved their life or employability skills e.g. through training, further education, volunteering or apprenticeships

E. Participants report healthier lifestyles

F. Participants report improved positive relationships or an increased sense of belonging

G. Participants report reduced substance misuse / addictions

H. Participants report they are less likely to offend, re-offend, or commit ASB

Now closed