GrantRadar

Quartet Community Foundation

Bristol Youth and Play Support Programme

A grant programme run by Quartet Community Foundation in partnership with Bristol City Council (funded by the council and local philanthropists) for organisations in the City of Bristol delivering youth work or playwork for children and young people aged 8 to 19 (up to 25 for young people with learning difficulties). Single organisations can apply for up to £5,000 and partnerships of two or more eligible organisations for up to £10,000, for activities lasting up to 12 months, including core costs. Applications are prioritised if they meet a priority in one of the four area Youth and Play Development Plans (North, South, East Central, City Centre), and decisions are made by a panel including young people. The current round closes at 11am on 26 October 2026; Quartet expects to make about 15 grants and says the last round was nearly twice oversubscribed.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £10,000
Closes in
8 days left
26 October
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Organisations based and working in the City of Bristol that are: a constituted voluntary or community organisation; a constituted group or club; a registered charity, including CIOs; or a not-for-profit company, including CICs not limited by shares where most directors receive no payment
  • Applicants must have at least three trustees or directors, the majority unrelated; CICs with one or two directors registered as Persons with Significant Control may not be funded
  • Faith-based organisations can apply if activities are accessible and inclusive
  • Baseline standards expected (funding may be given if the organisation agrees to develop them): safeguarding policy, DBS checks for all staff/volunteers delivering, GDPR compliance, equality, health and safety and complaints policies, public liability insurance of at least £5m and employer's liability of at least £10m
  • No size limit, but reserves and other funding are considered
  • Partnerships of two or more organisations can apply for up to £10,000 if every funded partner meets the criteria, each has a clear delivery role and share of funding, and there is some form of partnership agreement
  • Organisations already receiving Bristol City Council Youth and Play funding may apply for an activity not currently funded by the council

What it funds

  • New or existing activities delivering play work (typically children up to 11, child-led, free to access, free to choose, free to come and go) or youth work (typically ages 11 to 19, up to 25 for young people with learning difficulties, voluntary participation with young people as equal partners) for local children and young people aged 8 to 19 in Bristol
  • Any reasonable costs of delivering the youth or play work:
  • Core or running costs
  • Project and activity costs
  • Equipment

For activities lasting up to 12 months.

Priority goes to work meeting a priority in one of the four Youth and Play Development Plans (e.g. sustaining sessions and detached youth work in priority wards, targeted provision for priority groups such as care-experienced, LGBTQIA+, GRT, SEND, young carers, young people of colour, young refugees and asylum seekers).

All applications should show children and young people involved in design and/or delivery, and links with other local groups rather than working in isolation.

Non-youth-sector organisations (arts, sport, culture) are welcomed if they have established links with youth or play organisations and address a plan priority.

What it will not fund

  • Activities that don't match the programme's definitions of youth work and play work
  • Costs incurred before a grant can be awarded
  • One-off events
  • One-off trips where long-term impact cannot be strongly demonstrated
  • Capital projects
  • Individuals
  • School-based activities taking place during school hours
  • After-school clubs, unless they meet the definitions of youth and/or play work
  • Activities based in school grounds where the primary beneficiaries are the school's pupils rather than the wider community (unlikely to be funded)
  • Activities that raise funds for other organisations
  • Applications for the same activities as a previous grant from this programme that has not yet ended
  • Activities already funded by Bristol City Council Youth and Play funding

How to apply

  1. Read the Guide for Applicants, including the Youth and Play Development Plan priorities in Appendix A
  2. Complete the online application form on the Quartet website (you can save and return to it) and upload the supporting documents
  3. Submit before 11am on 26 October 2026
  4. A member of Quartet staff assesses the application and may contact you for more information
  5. A grant panel including young people and youth and play sector representatives decides; you are told within one week of the panel

Contact Quartet before applying if unsure how your work fits the priorities, or if children and young people cannot be involved in design/delivery.

To discuss emerging local needs, contact the Bristol City Council Family Help Team leads for North/City Centre, East Central or South Bristol named in the guide.

A plain-text version of the form is available for preparation only; applications must go through the online form.

Have ready

  • Constitution/governing document/set of rules
  • Contact details of at least 3 members of your management committee/board of trustees/board of directors
  • Most recent annual accounts or financial records showing balance of funds, income and expenditure (or the records you have if under a full year)
  • Up-to-date safeguarding policy relevant to your work
  • Contact details of a referee who knows your work professionally but is not directly involved in it

Don't resend documents already sent to Quartet in the past six months unless they have changed.

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