# New Esmée Fairbairn funding announced with focus on young care leavers

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/11/03/new-esmee-fairbairn-funding-announced-focus-young-care-leavers/
- Published: 2016-11-03T08:30:30+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The [Esmée Fairbairn Foundation](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/11/03/new-esmee-fairbairn-funding-announced-focus-young-care-leavers/esmeefairbairn.org.uk)
has announced that it will spend £2m a year for the next five years on helping young
people who are leaving care.**

The funding aims to ‘ensure that care leavers are decision makers in the choices
that affect their lives’, and could be for core or project costs, including staff
salaries and overheads. There are no limits on grant size or length and while most
support is likely to be in the form of grants, the Foundation will also consider
making social investments.

It is looking to fund:

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Work that develops long lasting, supportive relationships for young people in and
leaving care, such as:

 * good practice models of how family relationships (including relationships with
   siblings) can be nurtured rather than broken by the care system
 * development of existing non-family relationships with friends and significant
   adults, such as teachers, previous foster carers, sports coaches etc
 * development of practical, informal networks that allow care leavers to receive
   advice, make friends, reduce isolation and grasp positive opportunities
 * policy and practice for looked after children that values and prioritises long
   lasting supportive relationships and the positive role the care system can play
   in nurturing and developing these relationships

Work that has a positive impact on the support that care leavers receive from their
local authority and other statutory services such as:

 * involving care leavers in decisions about their own lives and in the design of
   services, in order that they influence the structures and processes that govern
   how they are treated
 * advocating for young people leaving care to obtain what they are legally entitled
   to and need
 * influencing broader policy, particularly in relation to standardising best practice
   across the UK
 * collecting and sharing data and knowledge about care leavers and benchmarking
   local authority services for care leavers

Applications are [via its website,](http://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/apply-for-funding)
and there is no deadline.

According to the Foundation, 10,000 young people over 16 leave care each year, a
third before their 18th birthday, compared to the general population where 50% are
still living with their parents at 24, while half of care-leavers believe they are
made to do so too early and that they receive very poor preparation and support 
for the challenges of adult life.

In 2015, the Foundation spent £33m in grants and committed £6m in social investments
to 307 organisations doing legally charitable work in the UK across the arts, children
and young people, environment, food, and social change sectors.

 * **[More than 500 organisations sign up for November’s #iwill campaign](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/11/14/500-organisations-sign-novembers-iwill-campaign/)**(
   14 November 2016)
 * **[Mason Trust offers funding to help young people achieve dreams](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/03/17/mason-trust-offers-funding-help-young-people-achieve-dreams/)**(
   17 March 2017)
 * **[Grant boost to help under 16s in difficulties reach their potential](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/04/06/grant-boost-help-under-16s-difficulties-reach-their-potential/)**(
   6 April 2017)

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