Funder Collaborative for Youth Organising

The Funder Collaborative for Youth Organising consists of funders dedicated to advancing youth organising as a strategy for youth development and social justice. It was founded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Blagrave Trust.

Building on recommendations from commissioned research by the Act for Change Fund and the Blagrave Trust, and following extensive engagement over two years with young changemakers and practitioners, the collaborative aims to:

• strategically invest in existing and emerging infrastructure to advance youth organising and activism in the UK
• create a community of practice around funding youth organising and activism, sharing learning, and supporting other funders to shift focus
• coordinate funder efforts to leverage further capital into this space and avoid duplication.

Above all we aim to be guided by young people, practitioners, and leaders in this field, continually interrogating how we can shift more decision-making power and resource to the field.

Alongside launching the Funder Collaborative for Youth Organising, the founding funders have supported the creation of the UK’s first Alliance for Youth Organising in partnership with the Civic Power Fund. The Alliance will act as an intergenerational collective of practitioners, working together to strengthen youth organising infrastructure, starting up with an initial two-year investment of £600,000. They will:

• use their knowledge and networks to resource youth organising for the long-term 
• manage an annual budget to support the needs of the field
• shape their own vision and the core priorities they want to invest in. 

What is youth organising?

Grounded in racial, gender, disability, and economic justice, youth organising is the process of engaging young people in building power for systemic change while supporting their individual and collective development. Proximity to the issues is key, so lived experience is essential. It is youth-led, but elders can play a role through sharing their knowledge, expertise and networks.

What is youth organising infrastructure?

Youth organising infrastructure is the structures, spaces, networks and organisations needed for youth organising as a practice to thrive. Infrastructure can be formal, but it can also be ‘emergent, shifting and in the making’.