£70 million fund to transform youth volunteering in England

The youth volunteering charity, v, has announced a new funding programme as part of a national framework to transform youth volunteering in England.

More than £70 million is available over three years for organisations and projects to develop and deliver innovative volunteering opportunities, which are accessible and engaging to 16-25 year olds in all parts of the country.

The grants programme seeks to stimulate the creation of youth volunteering opportunities that tap into young people's passions and concerns and engage them in activities which benefit society and young people themselves.

Organisations can apply for funding to deliver volunteering opportunities directly to young people or to build capacity, bringing more organisations and young people into volunteering.  To encourage diversity, the charity is offering grants to small community groups as well as large to medium sized organisations.

Announcing the new grant programme, v Chief Executive Terry Ryall, says: "The funding will create a vibrant and coherent infrastructure for youth volunteering in England, as well as stimulate the creation of innovative volunteering  opportunities that will capture the imagination of young people, harnessing their skills and talents to make a difference in their communities."

The funding programme has been developed as a result of consultation with young people through the charity's v20 Youth Advisory Board, existing Millenium Volunteers' projects and other stakeholders in the sector, as well as knowledge gained from the projects v has funded over the last year.

Organisations and projects are invited to submit expressions of interest by August 10, 2007. Further information on the fund and how to apply is available at www.wearev.com