Are you a community group, charity, or Community Interest Company (CIC) in Devon with a great idea for supporting young people aged 11–25?
Following research by the Devon Youth Council, we’re launching the PLACES TO GO THINGS TO DO Youth Fund to support inclusive, accessible, and enriching activities for those aged 11 to 25.
The fund aims to:
– Create welcoming community spaces
– Encourage social connections
– Promote lifelong learning and skill development
– Build confidence and self-esteem
– Reduce loneliness and isolation.
What Can Be Funded
We welcome applications for both new initiatives and enhancements to existing activities, such as:
– Sports and leisure facilities
– Skill-building sessions (e.g. animal care, barista training)
– Music jamming, gaming cafés or creative workshops
– Safe spaces to study, socialise, or relax and have fun!
You could also consider separate activities for 11-18 year olds and 18-25 year olds
Projects should be low or no cost to participants, environmentally conscious, and accessible by public transport or within walking distance where possible. If not, tell us how you could support access, for example by shared transport. Activities must be inclusive of all young people and how they choose to identify. Young people who are LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, disabled or have an ethnicity other than White British have expressed more challenges than others in finding inclusive spaces.
Eligibility
You can apply if you are:
– A not-for-profit, voluntary or community group
– A registered charity or social enterprise
– A school, college, faith groups (with wider community benefit), parish/town council, or national charity with a local branch
– A CIC (limited by guarantee, without share capital) with a charitable purpose
– At least 75% of beneficiaries must live within the Devon County Council administrative area.
Requirements for Applying Organisations
– A governing document outlining charitable purposes
– A management committee of at least 3 unconnected members
– Annual accounts or financial records
– A bank account with two unconnected signatories
– Up-to-date safeguarding and equality policies
Where a very small group or organisation does not have its own bank account, may not have all of the documents outlined above, and is not yet formally constituted, we may consider paying a grant to a host organisation. Please click on this LINK for guidance
Funding Amounts
– Typical grants: £500–£1,000 paid upfront
– Exceptional projects: Up to £3,000 (requires evidence of need, match funding and copy of spend/receipts before reimbursement).
How to Apply
**Please complete the online application form: Places to Go Things To Do.**
Have a look at the questions on the application form here: Application
Our decision-making panel will include members of the Devon Youth Council.
Terms and conditions
Full details of the specific Devon County Council terms and conditions relating to these grant schemes form part of the application process and require projects to accept them before any funds are released.
However, there are some generic conditions that apply to all the grant schemes, which your group or organisation project needs to be aware of. Read the full terms and conditions here. You can also read about the information we collect
If you receive a grant, you must promote your activities for young people aged 11–25 on your own website and social media, and provide us with the details we need using our activity template (covering things like dates, times, location, age range, costs, and a short description). This information will allow us to feature your activities on our dedicated “What’s On” webpage, helping as many young people as possible to discover and join in.
What We Cannot Fund
- projects or items that are the responsibility of another public body (for example, NHS, Local Authority)
- activities that are contributing to general fundraising
- projects that are delegating any acquired funds to third parties
- projects that are solely for the benefit of animals
- projects that are solely counselling based
- projects that are in support of a single faith without wider community benefit. This includes fabric repairs to church buildings, church yards and cemetery walls.
- retrospective applications for projects or activities that have already been completed, or items that have been purchased
- alcohol or medication
- large projects where the link between a grant awarded and overall project outcomes are not clear
- loss of income
- applications from individuals, sole traders, for-private-profit or grant-making organisations (where funding is requested for grant making)
- political activities
- salaries, wages, or expenses of persons employed by a not-for-private-profit organisation unless these are finite, sessional charges and do not imply any ongoing commitment
- projects that provide support to more than 25% of beneficiaries living outside of the Devon County Council administrative area
- organisations with an income above £250,000 or those that have had more than £350,000 public funding within the last 3 years
Reporting Requirements
If you are successful in getting funding for your idea/initiative, you will be asked to submit a brief project report on how your project went. We will require:
– Number of beneficiaries
– Impact of the funding
– Challenges and how they were addressed
– Positive stories and photos or videos of the funded activity (with GDPR-compliant publicity). We will use these to publicly promote this fund and your activities unless you inform us in writing that you do not consent to your materials being used for promotional purposes.
We may request invoices or receipts. Funds may be reclaimed if the project deviates from its original aims or is underspent.
We’re keen to learn from young people’s experiences, and we encourage you to share this link to the P2GT2D Participant Feedback Form so they can tell us what they think.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need Help?
Please contact If you have any queries or are unsure about any of the process, please email corpor.communitygrants-mailbox@devon.gov.uk or call 01392 383379. We are always happy to chat through a proposal.