Lead the Change is a three-year programme supporting young people to take a leading role in strengthening relationships, fostering understanding and building a sense of belonging in their communities.
The programme is led by BBC Children in Need in partnership with UK Community Foundations and a group of national funders.
It responds to growing challenges facing young people, including feeling unheard, socially disconnected, and exposed to harmful or misleading content online.
Lead the Change invests in youth leadership, community connection and opportunity — supporting youth-led projects, creating safe spaces, and helping young people build skills to navigate online spaces and shape positive narratives.
Lead the Change will fund work that strengthens local relationships, builds confidence and belonging, and supports young people to lead change in their communities, informed by local priorities.
Applicants will be required to demonstrate:
This may include
We particularly welcome applications from organisations led by people most impacted by xenophobia, racism and islamophobia.
In your application, we’re looking to understand:
We particularly welcome applications from organisations led by people most impacted by xenophobia, racism and islamophobia.
We are using a two-stage application process for this programme.
Stage 1 application
Stage 1 is open from 1 April to 30 April 2026. This is a short application where we ask for basic information about your organisation, a brief overview of your proposed work, and initial safeguarding confirmation.
We are sharing this opportunity openly, and we will also be reaching out directly to some organisations as part of our ongoing Getting to Know You process, our approach to building relationships with organisations and getting to know their work. You are welcome to make a Stage 1 application whether or not you have been contacted by us.
What happens next
If your application is successful, you will be invited to submit a Stage 2 (full) application. Invitations may be issued on a rolling basis as assessments are completed.
Invitations will be issued no later than 13 May 2026, and you will be given a minimum of four weeks to develop and submit your proposal. The deadline for Stage 2 applications will be 10 June 2026.
Once Stage 2 applications have been submitted, they will be shortlisted and reviewed by a range of panels, including young people, over a six-week period (6 July – 17 August).
Final decisions will be made following this process, and we will share outcomes with applicants from the beginning of September.
For more details information – please read the Applicant Guidance Notes
Please note that the criteria for the Lead the Change grants differ from our standard eligibility.
If your organisation is not eligible for a Lead the Change grant, you are welcome to check our wider eligilibilty through our Getting to Know You process
