Funding available for initiatives that support disadvantaged children

Open to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, the funding is from the Department for Education’s (DfE) National Prospectus Grant 2015-16.

Through the grant, the DfE will award providers funding for 'innovative' approaches that help improve outcomes for children and young people, particularly those who are disadvantaged, and support their families.

Grants of up to £750,000 are available for initiatives that support one or more of the seven policy priority areas. They include:

• high-quality and affordable early education and childcare that promotes choice;
• improve the early help provided to children with additional support needs and protect and support children at risk of harm;
• special education needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms including specialist advice and support and innovative approaches to filling gaps in the market;
• strengthen the identification of children’s mental health issues, their prevention, and the better commissioning of support and collaboration between agencies and services;
• improve advice to families to promote resilience, support early intervention and improve engagement with statutory services.

The approaches that provide the best value for money will be funded for one year from 1 April 2015.

The deadline for grant applications is 21 November 2014.

Edward Timpson, minister for children and families, said, ‘We will invest up to £25m in 2015-16 for grants awarded through the National Prospectus Programme. This investment matches the funding provided through the Prospectus in 2015-15. It shows, in these tough financial times, the value we place on the good work many organisations have done as a result of the programme. This is work that we hope will continue to improve outcomes for some of our most vulnerable children.

‘We want to be able to use this work to inform and guide national policy.’