The Million Hours Fund is offering grants between £30,000 and £100,000 to support extra hours of youth work in areas with higher rates of anti-social behaviour across England.
Funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and The National Lottery Community Fund, this initiative aims to create safe spaces and positive activities for young people aged 10 to 18 (or up to 25 for those with SEND).
Objectives of the Fund
The funding is for organisations to give extra support to young people in areas with higher rates of anti-social behaviour. These extra hours could be used for:
- Learning
- Arts
- Playing sports
- Mentoring
- Developing social or life skills
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, projects must:
- Benefit young people aged 10 to 18, or up to 25 if they have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
- Effectively engage with young people at risk of taking part in anti-social behaviour
- Deliver more hours of youth work than currently provided
- Involve young people in decisions about the work
- Deliver youth work that is open to as wide a range of young people as possible (‘open access’)
- Be run by trusted adults such as qualified youth workers, youth support workers, or experienced volunteers
Check eligible ward areas here:
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/million-hours-2025-wards
Eligible Expenditure
Most of the funding should be for the direct costs of running extra hours of youth work. It can be used for:
- Staff salaries to deliver this work
- Volunteer costs
- Training costs
- Materials, equipment, and food
- Reporting costs to NLCF
- Overheads such as rent, insurance, and admin salaries
How to Apply
Deadline: Wednesday 22 October 2025 at 12 noon
Applications will be assessed as soon as they are received.
Apply early — the programme may close before the deadline if more applications are received than expected.
Guidelines and application form:
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/million-hours