Your Best Friend is a two-year project to give women, girls and non-binary young people the knowledge, confidence and tools to keep themselves and their friends safe in their dating relationships. It is run by eleven charities and creative organisations working hand in hand with young people to make sure young people get honest, practical information they can trust to keep themselves and their friends safe from toxic relationships or get them to safety.
The Your Best Friend Fund are distributing £300,000 in grants to organisations and groups based in England and Wales to create their own ideas and projects that support Your Best Friend’s aims. The fund expects to give 30-40 small grants of £1,000 - £10,000 and 6-8 large grants between £10,000 and £25,000.
Your idea or project must:
- Increase understanding about healthy, unhealthy and toxic relationships
- Give people the knowledge and confidence to know how to keep their friends safe
You can apply for a grant to use the tools and resources Your Best Friend creates in your own community, or to develop ideas and activities of your own. Your idea or project should focus on girls, young women and non-binary people aged 13-24.
Applications are welcomed from groups and organisations this includes:
- Schools (pastoral teams, peer mentors, feminist societies, sports and drama teams etc)
- Colleges and universities (student union, societies, sports and drama clubs, pastoral teams etc)
- Community-based social and health services (inc sexual health, pregnancy and young mums’ support)
- Charities and community groups (national, regional and/or local)
- Religious groups
- Youth clubs, groups and societies (inc activism, sports, drama, music, Scouts and Guides, adventure, craft, support groups etc)
If you are applying for a large grant (£10,000 - £25,000), the first deadline is 18 February 2022
If you are applying for a small grant, (£1,000 - £10,000) this is a rolling programme so you can apply at any time and your application will be assessed at the next available panel meeting.