# Funding to enable more young people with additional needs to do their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/08/08/funding-young-people-additional-needs-dofe/ - Published: 2025-08-08T16:43:59+01:00 - Author: Howard Lake **Funding is now available to help deliver The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Additional Needs and Alternative Provision settings.** The funding is being offered by the charity, with support from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity aims to enable 1.6 million young people starting a life-changing DofE programme by spring 2026. Increasing the number of organisations that can become licensed to deliver the DofE Award is one element of that. ## Advertisement It is committed to working with the Government “to remove barriers to opportunity for young people with disabilities and additional needs”. ## Funding The funding, which is available between now and **11 December 2025**, is available for state-funded specialist schools that support young people with special educational needs and disabilities, Alternative Provision settings, and Pupil Referral Units in England. The funding will enable eligible settings to receive: * **Up to £4,500** (ex-VAT) to purchase equipment that will support DofE activities across the Volunteering, Physical, Skills and Expedition sections. * Funding to cover 75% of the 2025/26 DofE annual licence fee. * Funded Bronze, Silver and Gold DofE participation places, supporting participants to access the Award at no cost.  ## Breaking down barriers The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has been focusing on breaking down barriers to give as many young people as possible the chance to do their DofE. ![Aleea-Mae and Alex from Thomasson Memorial School making cookies for their Skill section.](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2025/08/Aleea-Mae-and-Alex-from-Thomasson- Memorial-School-making-cookies-for-their-Skill-section.-Credit-DofE.jpg) Aleea-Mae and Alex from Thomasson Memorial School making cookies for their Skill section. Photo: DofE Aleea-Mae, 14, who did her DofE at Thomasson Memorial School in Bolton, said: > “I was born profoundly deaf in both ears. They didn’t find out until I was three > and I got two hearing aids when I was four – I’d missed four years of my life > without speaking. > “I decided to do the DofE because I wanted to have some fun and I like camping, > exploring and doing activities outside. For my Volunteering section, I helped > create a British Sign Language version of the DofE welcome film, to help other > deaf people find out more about it. The advice I would give to other young people > who are deaf is that you can take part in the DofE – there’s nothing stopping > you.” Doing DofE has been shown to have a statistically significant impact on participants, developing their resilience, confidence, initiative, community cohesion and mental and physical wellbeing.   ## Doing the DofE To do their DofE, young people aged 14-24 choose activities in four sections: improving a Physical and Skills activity, Volunteering for a cause of their choice, and completing a demanding Expedition. Along the way they have fun, grow in resilience and self- belief, discover new talents and passions, and learn practical skills to help them in future – while working towards a highly respected Award. **Ruth Marvel OBE**, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award said: > “We are delighted that, together with our partners at DCMS we can offer this funding > to support more young people to access the DofE. Between 2022 and 2024, thanks > to support from DCMS and the Department for Education we supported 128 Additional > Needs and Alternative Provision (ANAP) settings to launch the DofE in England. > “Of those, 94% agreed that it allowed more young people from marginalised backgrounds > to take part and 90% observed positive impacts on the wellbeing of participants. > “We want to ensure that no young person misses out on the opportunity to do a > life-changing DofE Award – and this funding will help us to do that.” To find out more and apply for the funding, [visit the DofE](http://Dofe.org/access-without-limits-SEND-schools). * **[Duke of Edinburgh’s Award rebrands](https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/09/04/duke-edinburgh039s-award-rebrands/)( 4 September 2008) * **[Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Dogs Trust among charities chosen for Telegraph’s 2021 Christmas appeal](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/11/08/dofe-dogs-trust-among-charities-chosen-for-telegraphs-2021-christmas-appeal/)( 8 November 2021)** * **[Youth services encouraged to apply for share of £368mn fund](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/08/02/youth-services-encouraged-to-apply-for-share-of-368mn-fund/)( 2 August 2022)**