GrantRadar

The National Lottery Community Fund

Sustainable Steps Wales - Green Careers - Cardiff

Development grants of £300 to £25,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund for a partnership of organisations to plan a project helping young people aged 16 to 25 from ethnically minoritised communities in Cardiff into green careers. Only partnerships can apply, and the Fund plans to make one award: the partnership given development funding may then be invited to apply for £100,000 to £1,800,000 to run the project for around 3 years. Development applications are open from 1 August to 31 October 2026, made by contacting the Fund rather than through an open form.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£300 – £25,000
Closes in
13 days left
31 October
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Partnerships only
  • One lead organisation applies on behalf of the partnership and must be a UK-based registered charity, voluntary or community organisation, CIO, co-operative society or company limited by guarantee (each with a not-for-profit clause), community interest company or community benefit society
  • The lead needs at least 3 board or committee members aged 18 or over who are not related (companies need at least 3 unrelated directors)
  • Partners can come from any sector and work locally, regionally or across Wales; together they should have expertise in supporting young people from ethnically minoritised communities, work placements, skills and training, and include employers offering green jobs
  • The project must work with young people aged 16 to 25 living in Cardiff, including those furthest from the labour market, aim for around half of participants to be women, involve young people in design, delivery and evaluation, and be delivered bilingually in English and Welsh
  • Individuals, sole traders, profit-making groups applying for another organisation and organisations not established in the UK cannot lead

What it funds

Developing a partnership's project idea or plan for supporting young people from ethnically minoritised communities in Cardiff into green careers (careers that reduce carbon emissions, restore nature or help us adapt to our changing climate):

  • Staff time
  • More engagement sessions with young people and others in the community
  • Hosting partnership meetings

project funding (£100,000 to £1,800,000, by invitation after development funding) can cover young people's training or work placement costs, their travel and work clothing, job coaches and project staff, overheads, software and website, marketing, small equipment, monitoring and evaluation, Welsh language translation, professional and legal fees and electric vehicles.

What it will not fund

  • Costs for supporting young people that are already participating in other employment programmes
  • Alcohol
  • Profit-making
  • Recoverable VAT
  • Activities that replace government funding
  • Political or religious activities
  • Paying someone else to write your application

How to apply

  1. Contact the Fund by phone (0300 123 0735, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or email sustainablestepswales@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk; a funding officer takes your details and starts the application process
  2. Apply for development funding (£300 to £25,000) between 1 August and 31 October 2026
  3. Hear the development decision by the end of November 2026
  4. If you receive development funding, you are invited to apply for project funding (£100,000 to £1,800,000) between 1 December 2026 and 28 February 2027, with a decision by the end of March 2027

the Fund held a networking meeting in summer 2026 and workshops to help organisations form partnerships, and can help you connect with other interested organisations. You cannot get project funding without development funding first, and the Fund plans to make one award.

Have ready

  • Partnership agreements from organisations that will help manage the project or use the grant to deliver it (a template is provided)
  • A safeguarding policy, including risk assessments and training

if funded, you must comply with the UK's subsidy control commitments.

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Sustainable Steps Wales - Green Careers - Cardiff — The National Lottery Community Fund — GrantRadar