Youth Play and Participation Services – Grants

If you run youth or play services in Manchester, you can apply for a grant to help fund your work.

Who can apply?
Applications are welcome from:

• Individual applications (from one group)
• Partnership applications (from three or more groups working together)

Manchester City Council will prioritise partnerships, but strong individual applications are still welcome.

How to apply
Individual applications
You can apply to work in one area or across the city.
If you apply alone, you can’t also be in a partnership application.

Partnership applications
You can apply as a group of three or more organisations.
One group must act as the lead partner and complete the application.
The other groups in the partnership are known as named partners. All partners must help deliver the project.
Important rules for partnerships:
A group can only be the lead partner in one application. But can be a named partner in other applications in different areas.
Named partners can be part of more than one partnership across the city.
The lead partner can claim up to 10% of the grant for management costs.

How much can you apply for?
This funding runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. There is £1.62 million available each year.

You can apply for a:

• Small grant (one year): Under £10,000; or a
• Large grant (up to three years): Over £10,000.

You can’t ask for more than:

• 50% of your yearly income
• £500,000 over three years

Manchester City Council have provided FAQs and responses from the three briefing sessions held for the Manchester Youth, Play, and Participation Services Grant Programme. Manchester City Council hope this information helps clarify key details and supports your application process. Download the FAQ here

Download a word copy of the Expression of Interest (EOI) form here. This document is provided to assist you in completing the form more efficiently. You can fill it out then copy and paste the required information into the online form to streamline the process.