Uniformed Youth Fund Waiting Lists
Grants of up to £3,500 for new Scout Troops and Explorer Units in England
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Updated 12 June 2024
We secured a £5.8 million grant from the Department for Media, Culture and Sport to help grow the areas where Scouts already thrives and within communities that are new to Scouting.
This is called the Uniformed Youth Fund.
Local growth plans have been submitted and we are now working with Counties in specific areas to help achieve Scouts' ambition of opening 500 more sections by 2025.
New sections opened through this Fund are eligible to receive a £500 startup grant and £3,000 programme activity grant.
This page provides details about the grant.
Sections that were identified in County growth plans as needing support, ready to open, and met the eligibility criteria set by DCMS.
These have all been contacted by a Local Growth Officer.
The Startup Grant is for £500 towards venue hire, uniform, clothing, badges, membership fees, equipment, and programme resources. This grant must be spent within six weeks of approval.
Completion of the Startup Grant makes you eligible to receive the Programme Activity Grant.
The Programme Activity Grant is for £3,000 towards developing a highly engaging programme. This grant must be spent within six months of approval.
Grantees can use the funds to reimburse purchases and fees since 15 November 2022.
Scout Troops must have approval from their Group Chair and District Commissioner as per POR.
Explorer Units must have approval from their District Chair and County Commissioner as per POR.
Where one of the roles named above is vacant, approval should be sought from the relevant acting volunteer as per POR.
Demographic data for your section including ethnicity, age, and gender for each young person and volunteer must be provided upon request.
Grants must be paid into a Scouting bank account. This doesn't have to be the Applicant's.
Purchases can be made by the Applicant or any other local section, group, or district as long as the young people in the Applicant's section have primary benefit.
Start Up Grants must be spent and a report provided that evidences spend and usage within six weeks of approval.
Programme Activity Grants must be spent and a report provided that evidences spend and usage within six months of approval.
- A Local Growth Officer supports you to provide the required information.
- We offer you the grants
- You accept (or decline!) our offer, which contains our terms and conditions
- We approve the grant and make payment for the £500 Start Up Grant
- Up to six weeks later, you submit a brief report about how you used the money and who benefitted
- We approve your report and make payment for the £3,000 Programme Activity Grant
- Up to six months later, you submit a brief report about how you used the money and who benefitted
- We approve your report
As part of this project, DCMS has engaged Ipsos to carry out monitoring and evaluation of the use of the grants. If your section gets selected by Ipsos, we will let you know by email before Ipsos themselves reach out to you. By accepting our Grant Offer, you agree to support Ipsos with their evaluation process if you are selected.
Speak with your Local Growth Officer.
If you have not been contacted, unfortunately, you are not eligible.
This grant scheme is wholly funded by our partnership with the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS). Changes to the Grant Scheme's purpose, limits, and restrictions may be made in accordance with amendments to the Grant Agreement between Scouts and DCMS.
This grant is available only through your Local Growth Officer. Please do not apply to DCMS directly.
Information you'll need to provide
Check what information is needed to applyHow to submit your grant report
Find out how to submit your grant report