By Vedat Mizrahi, Co-founder · 16 June 2026

Funding for children's and young people's charities: which UK grants are genuinely open now (June 2026)

If your charity works with children or young people, the open-grants picture changes constantly — and the national directories are slow to keep up. A programme that took applications last autumn may be shut today; a fund that "opens once a year" may have a deadline two weeks away. I'm Vedat Mizrahi, co-founder of GrantNest. On 16 June 2026 we re-checked the main UK funders for children and young people on their own websites. Here's what is genuinely open right now, banded by the age group you work with — and the one deadline you should diary today.

1. BBC Children in Need — open all year, for under-18s (UK-wide)

BBC Children in Need is the obvious starting point for any organisation supporting children and young people aged 18 and under, anywhere in the UK (including the Isle of Man and Channel Islands). It runs two streams, both open with no fixed deadline — you apply when you're ready, after an Expression of Interest:

• Core (organisational) costs — £1,000–£40,000 a year, up to £120,000 over three years, towards your running costs. There's an important catch most listings miss: Core Grants are not awarded to organisations with turnover over £1m — smaller, local groups are prioritised — and awards over £15,000 a year require registration with the relevant regulator.
• Project costs — £1,000–£40,000 a year for up to three years, for projects delivering positive change for disadvantaged children and young people.

• Fits: small-to-mid charities (under £1m turnover for core costs) working with under-18s who want multi-year support and can have a conversation with the local grants team first.
• Doesn't fit: larger organisations chasing core funding here, or anyone expecting an instant decision — an EOI and advice session come before a full application.

2. Henry Smith — Early Years Parenting Fund — apply by 1 July 2026

This is the one to diary. Henry Smith's Early Years Parenting Fund is open, but it has a hard Expression of Interest deadline of 1 July 2026, 5pm — verified on the funder's own page this week. It is also the most generous grant on this list: £56,250 a year for four years (£225,000 in total), as flexible funding you can put towards core running costs.

It is tightly targeted, so read the criteria before you start. It funds charities with an annual income of £100k–£5m, delivering trusted, culturally-grounded parenting support for children aged 0–5, either in the most deprived 20% of areas, or with Black, Pakistani and Gypsy/Roma/Traveller communities.

• Fits: established early-years and family charities (£100k–£5m income) doing parenting work with the under-5s in the communities above — and able to submit an EOI by 1 July.
• Doesn't fit: very small or very large organisations, or work outside the 0–5 parenting focus — the targeting here is deliberately narrow.

3. Paul Hamlyn Foundation — Youth Fund — open for 14–25s

For organisations working with older young people aged 14–25, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation's Youth Fund is open on a rolling basis. It offers up to £150,000 over three years for charitable work that helps young people drive change so future generations can thrive. Decisions take around four months, and PHF explicitly prioritises work outside London.

• Fits: youth-focused charities working with 14–25s, especially outside London, who want substantial multi-year support and can wait a few months for a decision.
• Doesn't fit: organisations needing money quickly, or whose work sits mainly in early years — the age band here starts at 14.

The point: "for children" isn't enough — check the age band and the window

Three strong funders, three different answers depending on who you serve: BBC Children in Need covers under-18s and never closes; Henry Smith's Early Years fund is for the 0–5s but shuts on 1 July; Paul Hamlyn starts at 14. A directory that simply tags all three "children & young people, open" hides the two things that decide whether it's worth your time — which ages they fund, and whether you can still apply this week.

That's why every programme on our open-grants list carries a last-checked date and a plain-English status, verified on the funder's own page rather than copied from last year's listing. If you work with children or young people, check the age band and the window before you write a word — and if you'd like the new open calls that fit your charity sent to you each Friday, the free weekly email below is the easiest way to never miss a 1 July.