Department for Children, Schools and Families / Big Lottery Fund – myplace (England)
The Big Lottery Fund has announced the launch of a new £190 million programme to support projects that deliver world class facilities for young people. The programme is called myplace and will run between 2008 and 2010. It is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and will be delivered by the Big Lottery Fund on behalf of the DCSF.
The programme has been developed following the report “Aiming High for young people: a ten year strategy for positive activities”, which set out the Government’s vision for improving youth facilities in response to clear ongoing demand from young people, parents and communities for more and better places for young people to go.
Grants of between £1 million and £5 million will be available for projects that deliver all four of the following outcomes:
• More young people, parents and communities feel that young people have exciting and safe places to go in their leisure time where they can get involved in an attractive range of activities.
• More young people, particularly the most disadvantaged, participate in positive leisure time activities that support their personal and social development.
• More young people have access to information, advice and support services from within places they feel comfortable.
• Stronger partnership working between local authorities, third, private and public sector partners to plan, deliver and operate financially sustainable youth facilities with and for young people.
All projects will need to demonstrate genuine cross-sector partnership between public sector bodies and third and/or private sector organisations, and BIG will look for capital and ongoing revenue co-financing as clear indication of the depth of this partnership. All applications must have the full endorsement of the top-tier local authority to demonstrate that the project responds to local needs and priorities as identified in the Children and Young People’s Plan and Local Area Agreement.
Applications will need to be led by a single organisation, which can be from either the public, third or private sector. (Private sector organisations leading bids will need to operate on a not-for-profit basis and account for funding separately.) Third sector-led projects may face particular challenges to develop a sustainable delivery model; therefore, BIG will award a £50,000 revenue grant to every successful third sector-led project to be used for development work to secure the long term viability of the project.
Projects must also demonstrate evidence of the real participation of young people, particularly disadvantaged young people, in the development, design and future of running of the project. £160 million will be available to support projects in the first year, of which £50 million will be available for fast track projects that are already well developed and are therefore able to submit robust business and capital plans with their application. Application and guidance materials for the first funding round will be available from Tuesday 6 May 2008 from BIG’s website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_myplace
There will be two possible application routes:
• The fast track route will enable early investment in projects that are already well developed and therefore able to submit robust business and capital plans with their application. This will enable final investment decisions to be made on the basis of the single application.
The deadline for submission of fast track applications will be Tuesday 29 July 2008.
• The standard route will provide applicants with an in-principle investment decision prior to providing capacity building support to help them develop their detailed delivery plans.
The deadline for standard route applications will be Tuesday 30 September 2008.
For more information about this or BIG’s other programmes contact BIG’s information team: Tel: 0845 4 10 20 30
Email: general.enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk
BIG will also be running a number of regional seminars in early May for prospective applicants to this programme. The North East seminar will take place in Newcastle on the morning of Friday 16 May.
For more information about this seminar contact BIG’s regional office for the North East on 0191 376 1600.
BIG expects to open a second funding round in early 2009 to commit a further £30 million, plus any surplus from the first round. However, potential applicants should note that the focus of the second round will be determined following a review of this first year of the programme.
