# Julia Rausing Trust awards £10 million to prevent youth homelessness

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/30/rausing-trust-awards-10mn-to-prevent-youth-homelessness/
- Published: 2026-10-30T16:35:29+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The Julia Rausing Trust has awarded grants totalling almost £10 million to 31 
organisations working to prevent and tackle youth homelessness across the UK, with
a major focus on early intervention.**

The announcement coincided with a Downing Street summit on ending rough sleeping,
to which 70 groups from businesses, faith groups, housing organisations, civil society
and the impact economy were invited. The Trust’s media team says the Prime Minister
has described homelessness as a cause of the utmost importance to his government
and to society.

## Early intervention at the heart of the programme

Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, receives the largest grant,**
£2.5 million**, to expand Upstream England. The school-based programme works with
11 to 16-year-olds who are at risk of disengaging from education and experiencing
homelessness in the future.

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The grant follows a [£3 million donation from Julia and Hans Rausing to Centrepoint in 2022](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/02/25/julia-hans-rausing-donate-3-million-to-centrepoint/),
which supports its Independent Living Programme. That programme gives vulnerable
18 to 25-year-olds who are homeless or at risk a home, alongside access to a job
or apprenticeship.

Further grants will develop Upstream approaches in the other nations: **£1 million**
to The Rock Trust for work in Scotland, **£500,000** to Llamau in Wales and **£250,000**
to MACS Supporting Children in Northern Ireland. Together with Centrepoint’s award,
that is **£4.25 million** for Upstream work.

Seyi Obakin OBE, Chief Executive of Centrepoint, said the Trust’s focus on prevention
was “particularly inspiring”. Upstream, which was pioneered in the UK by Llamau,
can help ensure many more young people are protected “from ever having to experience
the devastating trauma of homelessness”, he added.

## 31 organisations across all four nations

Other recipients include The Albert Kennedy Trust, Depaul UK, St Basils, Young Devon,
1625 Independent People, Streetlife and several Nightstop services.

Grantees will use the funding to run programmes that prevent young people from becoming
homeless or support those facing difficult circumstances, in regions across England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Simon Fourmy, Chief Executive of The Julia Rausing Trust, said the Trust was “increasingly
focusing on prevention”, which means recognising warning signs earlier and giving
young people the right support before difficulties become a crisis. He hopes the
programme will help the organisations “reach many more people” and build wider momentum
around preventing youth homelessness.

## A longstanding priority for the Rausings

Tackling homelessness was a longstanding priority in the philanthropy of Julia and
Hans Rausing. Since 2014, the charitable trusts associated with their giving have
donated a total of £35 million to organisations working in the sector.

Sir Hans Rausing said homelessness “can have a profound and lasting impact at a 
formative time in a young person’s life”. His wife Julia, he added, “believed deeply
in supporting people facing the greatest challenges”.

Sir Hans [established The Julia Rausing Trust](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/10/09/rausing-trusts-to-combine-into-julia-rausing-trust/)
in memory of Julia, who died in 2024. She co-founded The Julia and Hans Rausing 
Trust in 2014 and was instrumental in building it into one of the largest philanthropic
funds in the UK, donating £400 million to causes across health, welfare and the 
arts. The Julia Rausing Trust is a registered charity (number 1213572).

## All the grantees

The full list of grantees comprises:

Centrepoint; The Rock Trust; Llamau; MACS Supporting Children; The Albert Kennedy
Trust; Greater Change Foundation; YMCA Leicestershire; Open Homes Nottingham; Herts
Young Homeless Group; Depaul UK; Settle Support; New Horizon Youth Centre; Moving
On (Durham) Ltd; Key Community; Key Unlocking Futures Ltd; Streetlife; Step by Step
Partnership Limited; The Clock Tower Sanctuary; Youth Concern; Sussex Nightstop;
1625 Independent People; Young Devon; YMCA Cornwall; City of Exeter YMCA; St Basils;
Doorway; Redditch Nightstop; Nightstop Wyre Forest and South Worcestershire; Safe
and Sound Homes; Young Women’s Housing Project; and Bradford Nightstop.

 * **[Julia Rausing Trust gives £3 million to UK Youth Fund](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/09/15/julia-rausing-trust-gives-3-million-to-uk-youth-fund/)(
   15 September 2026)
 * **[Julia Rausing Trust gives £1 million grant to St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/01/29/julia-rausing-trust-gives-1-million-grant-to-st-martin-in-the-fields-charity/)(
   29 January 2026)
 * **[Julia & Hans Rausing donate £3 million to Centrepoint](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/02/25/julia-hans-rausing-donate-3-million-to-centrepoint/)(
   25 February 2022)**
