Funding for 10 to 20 organisations in England and Wales for projects that prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence by providing alternatives to arrest, conviction and custody.

The Youth Endowment Fund is currently accepting applications to the first of two £20 million themed grant rounds. The Another Chance: Diversion from the Criminal Justice System round aims to find out how diversionary programmes can prevent children aged 10-17 years old in England and Wales from becoming violent and keep them out of the criminal justice system.

The funder is keen to learn more about what makes a diversion programme effective in the UK. Most of the evidence currently comes from the United States. More evidence is need on programmes run in the UK.

It is anticipated that between £10 million and £20 million will support 10 to 20 projects that are ready for robust impact evaluation. The amount awarded to each project will depend on the type of programme and the kind of evaluation.

Projects need to:

• Support children aged 10-17 years living in England and Wales and identified at one of four turning point moments before court action is taken for a crime.
• Be diversionary programmes that provide family and parenting support, mental health and therapeutic support, restorative justice, or other approaches.
• Be programmes that involve a referral by a relevant statutory body.

Applications can be made by any organisation including charities, public services or the private sector, that:

• Receive referrals from a relevant statutory service (for example, the police, schools, local youth offending team or social care).
• Deliver their eligible programme to children in England and/or Wales.

The deadline for applications is 14 May 2021 (5pm).

Useful Links

•  2021 Themed Grant Round - A Supportive Home: Helping families to overcome challenges
•  2021 Themed Grant Round - Another Chance: Diversion from the Criminal Justice System
•  Youth Endowment Fund