Youth organisations in Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton urged to apply for slice of £30.5m grant

Better Youth Spaces, a £30.5m capital grants programme funded by the UK Government, launched on 6th August 2025.

 The fund, which is administered by Social Investment Business, aims to bring fast-paced benefits to young people. It will fund small scale-capital projects of £5k-£100k, including capital equipment, small refurbishments and other capital projects to help youth organisations to better support the young people they work with. 

The fund is available to not-for-profit youth organisations in 42 areas selected by the government based on the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) including Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall.

There have been cuts to youth services across local councils in the region with youth centres closing and youth workers being made redundant.

The Better Youth Spaces programme aims to improve the reach of activities provided and improve the safety of existing youth facilities T

 Better Youth Spaces fund. This follows the recent successful delivery of the £300m Youth Investment Fund, which is benefitting an estimated additional 50,000 young people through hundreds of youth facilities. 

Applications that include refurbishment will need to be submitted close at midnight on Sunday, August 31. The application window for all other applications will close at midnight on Sunday, September 21. The money will have to be spent by January 30, 2026.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, said: "We have heard loud and clear from young people that they need access to spaces where they can develop their talents, build confidence, and build relationships.  

"As part of our Plan for Change, we are investing over £30 million directly into youth facilities across our communities this year. This will allow young people to have a supportive environment to help them make their ambitions a reality."

For too long young people have been an afterthought, but through the National Youth Strategy, we have carried out the biggest listening exercise with young people in a generation, giving them the opportunity to shape the policies that will affect their lives." 

Nick Temple, CEO for Social Investment Business, said: “We are excited to be partnering with DCMS to launch Better Youth Spaces to support youth services in priority areas in England. 

"Through a combination of funding refurbishment projects and providing new equipment, it will create opportunities for young people to participate in a whole range of enrichment activities across sports, music and cultural activities.

He added: "The fund will also help to expand access, create safer spaces, and make youth services more sustainable. This is a real boost for youth services in some of the communities which need it most, creating lasting impact for young people’s wellbeing.”  

To apply for a grant youth organisations are urged to visit https://www.sibgroup.org.uk/funds/better-youth-spaces/.