Details

Funding to build the evidence on how to support young people facing significant barriers to work to develop essential employment skills and ultimately access good jobs.

This is a new fund to build high-quality evidence on how best to support those young people aged 16-24 who face significant barriers to work to develop essential employment skills and ultimately access good jobs. Under the new Essential Employment Skills Fund, the Nuffield Foundation is offering grants to evaluate UK programmes, share learning and inform the wider scaling-up of effective practice.

There is also potential to provide additional funding towards the costs of programme delivery where this is not covered from other sources, including through partnership funding models.

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Geographical areas funded: UK

Fund type

Type of funding:

Grant

Type of cost:

Revenue, Core costs

Fund award sizes

Maximum:

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Notes on award amounts:

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Who can apply

UK-based organisations that run programmes that support young people aged 16-24 (or a narrower age group within that range, such as 16-19 year olds) living in the UK.

Programmes must have an explicit focus on developing at least one essential employment skill among the young people participating, although most programmes are likely to address more than one.

See eligibility checker.

When to apply

Next outline application deadline: 10 December 2026.

Applications are considered twice a year, with deadlines for outline applications usually in Spring (June) and Autumn (January).

Next deadline: 10 Dec 2026

How to apply

The application form and guidance can be found on the Foundation's website. They have a two-stage application process. Applicants submit a short outline application, and those that meet the criteria are invited to submit a full application. Where an application costs over £500,000, they recommend that applicants contact them to discuss the application before applying.

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Exclusions

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Activites funded: Education and training Employability services Research

Beneficiaries funded: Economically/socially disadvantaged People in poverty Young people

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