Lead the Change supports young people to play a leading role in strengthening relationships, fostering understanding and building belonging in their communities.
Lead the Change
Lead the Change is a new, three‑year initiative launched by BBC Children in Need, in partnership with Co‑op Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Henry Smith Foundation, Joseph Levy Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Postcode Justice Trust, UK Community Foundations and The National Lottery Community Fund. The programme supports young people to build stronger relationships, feel more connected and take a leading role in shaping positive change within their communities.
It invests in youth leadership, safe and welcoming spaces, opportunities to bring communities together and the skills young people need to navigate information online and shape positive local narratives.
UKCF is supporting the initiative by working with Children in Need to co-ordinate the participation of 17 community foundations, who will deliver the grants to local community groups and also raise further funds.
We know the application windows will be quite short. This is because we want projects to be able to get started as soon as possible. However, we want groups to have enough time to prepare before the application period, which is why we’re publishing this initial information before sharing full programme guidance.
We will publish more detailed guidance soon with additional eligibility criteria and stipulations around what we want to fund.
What the programme aims to achieve
Lead the Change aims to:
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Strengthen community connection and safety.
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Empower young people as leaders, storytellers and changemakers.
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Support young people to build digital literacy and challenge harmful narratives.
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Increase opportunity through skills and leadership pathways.
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Build a national movement for youth‑led connection and change.
Who can apply
Lead the Change is open to registered not-for-profit, community-based organisations that:
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Are locally rooted and trusted by young people.
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Work with young people who have lived experience of local division or tensions.
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Meaningfully involve young people in shaping and delivering their work.
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Are based in or serving one of the 27 eligible places listed below.
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Have appropriate governance and safeguarding in place.
Applicants will need to apply through the relevant community foundation for their local area. When we publish the full guidance, we’ll say exactly which organisation types are eligible. The list of community foundations and the places they cover is at the bottom of this guidance.
What kind of work will be funded
Lead the Change will fund activities that help young people connect, feel safe, lead local action and build stronger relationships in their communities. This may include:
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Safe community spaces like youth clubs, sports or creative activities.
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Youth-led community action and projects that build trust and connection.
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Digital literacy and narrative change work, including tackling misinformation.
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Leadership, mentoring and skills development opportunities.
When we publish the full guidance, we'll tell you more about the type of activity that we want to support.
Approximate timeline
(Full timeline to be confirmed when Expressions of Interest period opens)
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Spring (likely April) – Short Expression of Interest (EOI) opens (3 weeks to apply).
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Spring (likely late April/early May) – Applicants hear whether they are invited to full application.
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Spring (likely May) – Full application window (4 weeks to apply).
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Summer (likely late August) – Applicants hear the final decision.
Participating community foundations and eligible places
Community foundation (with link) |
Places covered |
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Aldershot, Portsmouth, Southampton |
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Belfast |
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Birmingham |
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Bolton, Manchester |
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Bristol |
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Blackburn, Preston, Blackpool, Southport, Liverpool |
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Hartlepool, Darlington, Middlesbrough |
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Leeds |
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Leicester |
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London |
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Hull |
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Nottingham |
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Plymouth |
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Tamworth |
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Sheffield, Rotherham |
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Sunderland |
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Weymouth |
Support
If you have questions about Lead the Change, the best thing is to contact the community foundation managing the programme in your eligible place. If you have a query about the national partnership in general, then do get in touch with UKCF.