Deadline Date: September 02, 2026
The Youth Endowment Fund is inviting applications to support young people and educational settings in addressing harmful attitudes and behaviours around relationships and gender norms.
The focus areas of this funding opportunity include preventing violence against women and girls, promoting healthy and respectful equal relationships, Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), targeted early support, responding to inappropriate and problematic attitudes and behaviours, gender norms and relationships, strengthening educational settings’ capacity, early identification of concerns, evidence-informed interventions, independent evaluation, and improving knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours among children and young people. up to a maximum of £20,000 for a 4-month co-design process and
scaling up moderately for extended co-design stages
This funding round is part of a wider YEF programme focused on funding, evaluation, and research on what works to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls.
The programme aims to support interventions in education settings that respond to emerging inappropriate and problematic attitudes and behaviours among children and young people before they escalate into more serious harm.
Applications are invited from organisations delivering targeted interventions for children and young people aged 10–18. The funding focuses on secondary prevention by providing early, targeted support for those beginning to show concerns before behaviours require statutory services such as children’s social care, policing, or youth justice.
Interventions should centre on targeted work with children and young people displaying inappropriate and problematic attitudes and behaviours. Projects may also include training and support for teachers and school staff, tools and resources for early identification, and approaches that help educational settings respond safely and appropriately.
Projects should primarily operate within educational settings and support their systems and capacity to identify and respond to these behaviours. Delivery may also take place in community or partner settings where there is a clear and substantive link to an educational setting.
Applicants should demonstrate that their interventions are informed by existing evidence, theory, literature, or established practice. The funding does not support entirely new interventions developed from scratch but may support refinement, adaptation, or testing of promising interventions.
Successful proposals will receive funding for both intervention delivery and evaluation. Funded organisations must work with an independent evaluator throughout the co-design, delivery, and evaluation process.
Eligible interventions must be delivered in England by registered charities, companies, statutory bodies, or Community Interest Companies. Projects must support children and young people aged 10–18, or up to 19 in SEND settings, and aim to contribute to the long-term prevention of violence against women and girls and harmful behaviours in relationships.
Applicants must demonstrate readiness for evaluation, relevant experience, capability, partnerships, and contextual understanding to deliver the proposed work effectively.
For more information, visit Youth Endowment Fund.
