This years youth grant is currently closed
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Halton Borough Council Youth Grant is now available for applications for the period of 2026- 2027 to support the delivery of a range of positive activities for the young people living in the Halton Council area.
Eligible organisations will be able to apply for grants for a maximum of 10,000 to support the council to deliver our priorities as set out in our Children and Young Peoples Plan.
The Children and Young Peoples Plan 2024-2027 will remain the guiding strategic document and all grants will be considered in line with the 12 overarching aims and objectives within the Plan.
- Safely reduce the number of children needing to be looked after by the Local Authority and improve safeguarding.
- Improve the stability of care placements.
- Improve SEND provision.
- Increase number of children attending schools graded good or outstanding and improve attainment outcomes at all Key Stages.
- Improve pastoral and behaviour support and reduce the need for children to be excluded.
- Improve attendance at school, college and in Early Years settings including sufficiency of places.
- Improve professional practice including the quality of children and families social work.
- Reduce childhood obesity.
- Improve access to positive opportunities.
- Improve Mental Health provision.
- Strengthen the voice of children and young people.
- Improve pathways into meaningful employment with training and both Further and Higher Education.
Key dates for application process
- Youth Fund opens - Week commencing January 5th 2026
- Youth Fund closes - 5pm Wednesday 21st January 2026
- Grant panel meets - Tuesday 3rd February 2026
- Applicants informed - Friday 6th February 2026
Desired Outcomes
We will be asking you to deliver a youth project or activity that makes a positive impact or difference to young people aged 11 to 19, or up to the age of 25 if they have special educational needs or disability (SEND), or if they are a care leaver.
We will expect your project to contribute to at least one of the following outcomes:
- Safely reduce the number of children needing to be looked after by the LA and improve Safeguarding
- Improve SEND provision
- Improve pastoral and behaviour support and reduce the need for children to be excluded
- Reduce childhood obesity
- Improve access to positive opportunities
- Strengthen the voice of Children and Young People
- Improve mental health provision
- Improve pathways into meaningful employment with training and both further and higher education
Who can apply
- Voluntary and community sector VCS Organisations.
- Registered charities and CICs.
- Youth led groups and social enterprises.
- Schools and educational institutions with youth-focused programmes.
- Partnerships involving Halton Borough Council and third- sector providers.
Grant eligibility
There is only one grant window for applications in the current financial year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Multiple applications from the same provider will be considered, if appropriate.
What we will not fund
- loan repayments
- projects outside the Halton area
- individuals or personal equipment
- commercial organisations
- projects which in our opinion could harm the reputation of Halton Borough Council
What you need to demonstrate in your application
When applying for this fund, you must demonstrate:
- the need for financial support for your project
- value for money
- how the project meets at least one of our Children and Young Peoples Plan 2024-2027 (link to this)
- why your project is needed and what outcomes you will achieve – how will they be measured?
- the start and end date of your project
- that any projects can be delivered within 12 months of funds being released
- clear involvement of young people in making decisions and the development of your application
Appropriate governance of your organisation including the provision of the following documents:
- a written constitution or governing document that sets out the purpose and management of the organisation
- a bank account in the name of the organisation
- an up-to-date safeguarding policy and named safeguarding lead
- appropriate and current insurance cover for your organisation’s business or activities
- health and safety policy
- data protection policy
- equality and diversity policy
- appropriate risk assessments
Provision of all these documents is mandatory and they cant be more than 12 months old. They should be uploaded with your application at the time of submission. If for any reason this is not possible we can make arrangement to submit these by another means.
If we have not received all documents before the panel meets on the week commencing (deadline date), or the documents do not meet the criteria above, we reserve the right to refuse your application.
Terms and conditions
These are the terms and conditions for the youth fund grant:
- Applications must be submitted on the council’s online form by the deadline of midnight on 21st Jan 2026. Council will not accept or consider any applications received after this deadline. If you are unable to apply online, please contact us to discuss this well in advance of the application deadline.
- Applicants will be expected to demonstrate that their project is needed and that the intended beneficiaries of the project have been involved and consulted with.
- Applicants must use Halton Borough Councils online booking system, upload events calendar if appropriate and to promote Halton Borough Councils Youth Grant Activities.
- Applicants will be required to submit an end of project report, including case studies and feedback from young people. Failure to submit may prevent subsequent applications to the Halton Youth Grant Fund.
- The grant funding will be processed in two parts one prior to the project start date and one after completion of project and tasks. To claim the grant the recipient must accept all the terms and conditions of the grant offer and complete all sections of the declaration. Applicants will be asked to sign a service level agreement with full details of their grant award including terms and conditions.
- Where there is a significant change made to the project you must consult with Halton Borough Council prior to any spending. Failure to do so may result in part, or all, of the grant awarded having to be returned.
- Decisions made by Halton Borough Council’s Grants Panel are final. There is no appeals process. The fund is limited, and, in some cases, partial grant awards may be made. Where this is likely to have a detrimental impact on the delivery of the planned project, applicants may be invited to discuss a change to the planned project.
- Halton Borough Council reserve the right to make changes to the guidance and/or programme after its launch. Any changes will be communicated as quickly as is reasonably possible.
Completing your application form
Our online form is accessible and easy read. A copy of your application will be emailed to you once you have submitted your application. Applicants are reminded that we only accept applications through the online form.
Before you complete your application form, applicants are strongly advised to take time to thoroughly read and understand the fund criteria, priorities and whether your group or organisation is eligible to apply.
You should also make sure that you have all the supporting documents requested so that you can upload them when completing your application. If having read the guidance you are still unsure, please contact us and we will be pleased to discuss this with you further.
Youth fund grant data sharing
Halton Borough Council, we will share basic data information about your application with other local grant managers or funding streams. This will enable us to:
- make informed funding decisions
- avoid duplication of funding
- ensure value for money is achieved through our grant making processes
Halton Borough Council will also ensure that applicants data is stored appropriately. See details of our Data Protection.
How we make our decision
Prior to assessment Halton Council Officers will undertake due diligence on all applications to ensure that the application meets the criteria set out above and that all the relevant documentation has been submitted and is in order. Applications passing the due diligence will be considered by the Grant Panel for a decision.
The Grant Panel is made up of several individuals which also includes below:
- Young people
- Elected Member
- Commissioners
- Youth & HAF Co-Ordinator
Any queries please contact us cypdcommissioning@halton.gov.uk
View Halton Youth Grant Events
