Young People’s Vocational Development Charities Programme
Charities Programme
We fund programmes of work which help young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) get ready for, and move into, employment. Grants of up to £10,000 per-year are available, with awards for three years open to consideration. Our giving is focussed in London and Kent.
We look to support projects with a track record of success, or where the specific model of work is proven to be successful. Education is a theme of our support, so we particularly (but not exclusively) look to award grants to programmes of work where young people receive a vocational qualification, as part of their employment progression.
We recognise that immediate employment may be beyond some young people initially. Where this is not possible, clear progression routes should be evident – such as moving on to further qualifications or through developing clear employability skills during the project.
Funding Criteria
Our charity eligibility criteria is:
- Projects based in London and Kent that support ‘NEET’ young people to move into employment
- Where successful outcomes can be evidenced
- The project is run by a registered not-for-profit organisation, with at least one set of audited or independently examined annual accounts
- The charity's annual turnover does not exceed £1,000,000
Funding is available for specific projects, rather than general organisational costs. We will, however, consider pro-rata staffing and operational costs where appropriate. Additionally, we will not award a grant that represents more than 20% of the current annual running costs of the organisation.
Funding Priorities
- Young people attain a vocational qualification
- The project offers long-term tracking of beneficiaries, to establish quality outcomes
- The project operates in partnership with other local organisations
What we don't fund
- Work that does not support young people into employment or to become employment ready
- Projects that have no community or charitable element
- Retrospective funding, deficits, or loans
- Organisations which are not a registered not-for-profit organisation
- Organisations with an annual turnover above £1,000,000
- Organisations with reserves of more than 12 months’ expenditure
- Requests that represent more than 20% of the current annual running costs of the organisation.
- Organisations that do not provide direct services to beneficiaries
- Organisations which applied to us unsuccessfully within the previous 18 months
- Capital costs
- Services which are a statutory responsibility
- Projects that are primarily for the advancement of religion or politics (this does not exclude faith-based charities; however, we may ask for a copy of your non-proselytizing policy)
- Work that takes place outside London or Kent, including work overseas.
Applications & Awards
Applications & Deadlines
- Before submitting a full application, please email us with a short outline of the project.
- If you are eligible, we will be in touch with full details of how to make a complete application.
- Applications will be considered at our committee meetings, held in spring and autumn. The next meeting will take place on 6 October 2026. The deadline for initial expressions of interest is 5pm on 14 August 2026, with the deadline for full applications falling a week later, on 21 August 2026.
- During our assessment, we may request a visit, online meeting or telephone conversation to find out more about your work.
- We will communicate all decisions in the week following the meeting.
The use of AI in applications to the Skinners’ Charity Foundation
- We recognise that generative AI tools are increasingly a part of everyday life. They can save time, allow you to explain your work confidently and help make the process of applying for a grant less daunting – particularly if you are not used to doing this or if English is not your first language. We understand why people would want to use an AI tool, and it will not disadvantage your application to us should you choose to use one.
- However, AI-generated applications can often be generic and lack the detail that we need to understand who you are, why your work is important and what motivates you to do it. If you decide to use AI, we encourage you to read through what has been generated carefully before submitting your application. You should ensure that your application really does communicate what makes your organisation and approach unique, how the project you are planning will meet a need in your community, and the experience you have that means you will be able to do this effectively.
Awards
- If an award is made, the terms of our grant will be included with notification of our decision.
- This will include end-of-year monitoring, with any future instalments of our grant conditional on this.
Reapplications
- If you have received a grant from us, and this award is coming to an end, we may be able to consider a reapplication from your organisation.
- We are open to reapplications for a further two years, bringing our total funding period to a maximum of five years. We won’t consider a funding period longer than this.
- Reapplying organisations must display a high degree of project impact, the effective use of these past funds, and what they have learnt over the period of our support.
- Please contact us before submitting a reapplication for funding.
