Friends of Upward Bound UK grants
Friends of Upward Bound UK funds London projects helping young people succeed in education and move into meaningful employment, giving £17,000 in its most recent accounts.
Guidance last checked 22 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Friends of Upward Bound UK funds projects that help young people succeed in education and gain meaningful employment. It supports new development of services in response to the needs of the young people in London. Its criteria are specific about who the money must reach. Beneficiaries should be aged between 11 and 19 and at risk of failing to achieve academic benchmark qualifications, usually identified as predicted GCSE results in core subjects. Alternatively they should be aged between 16 and 25 and in need of support into meaningful employment. The applicant must be a formally constituted, not-for-profit organisation. That may include charities, schools, colleges, CICs, HEIs and community organisations that have adopted a formal constitution. Its board meets quarterly, and it gives feedback on applications it rejects, sometimes inviting them to reapply.
What they fund
These are the charitable purposes recorded for Friends of Upward Bound UK on the Charity Commission register. Its own guidance focuses on education attainment and routes into employment.
Who and where
The register records the charity as working in London. Its own guidance also refers to responding to the needs of young people in London.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Friends of Upward Bound UK says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“priority will be given to projects: Whose participants have the most need of intervention and who fall into the following categories: FSM, PP, SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), LAC, EAL, WP”
Source: friendsofupwardbound.org.uk — FAQs 1 — Friends of Upward Bound UK →
Who they say they'll fund
“We want to fund and support projects that help young people succeed in education and gain meaningful employment”
Source: friendsofupwardbound.org.uk — FAQs 1 — Friends of Upward Bound UK →
“The applicant is a formally constituted, not for profit organisation. These may include charities, schools, colleges, CICs, HEIs, and community organisations that have adopted a formal constitution”
Source: friendsofupwardbound.org.uk — FAQs 1 — Friends of Upward Bound UK →
“beneficiaries of the funding are between 11 and 19 and are at risk of failing to achieve academic benchmark qualifications (usually identified as predicted GCSE results in core subjects) and/or the beneficiaries are between 16 and 25 and in need of support into meaningful employment”
Source: friendsofupwardbound.org.uk — FAQs 1 — Friends of Upward Bound UK →
“We support new development of services in response to the needs of the young people in London”
Source: friendsofupwardbound.org.uk — Friends of Upward Bound UK →
How they say to apply
“you need to complete our on-line application form. The Board meet quarterly to consider any applications”
Source: friendsofupwardbound.org.uk — FAQs 1 — Friends of Upward Bound UK →
“We will give feedback to applications we reject and if appropriate, invite them to reapply once our concerns have been addressed”
Source: friendsofupwardbound.org.uk — FAQs 1 — Friends of Upward Bound UK →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To act as a resource for young people up to the age of 25 living in england and wales by supporting the 'upward bound' and other similar programmes which provide advice, assistance and educational and other activities as a means of: 1. Advancing in life and helping young people by developing their skills, capacities…
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Friends of Upward Bound UK typically give?
It does not publish a typical (median) grant size, and we do not hold a grant range we can rely on. In its most recent published accounts it made £17,000 of grants to organisations, so this is a small funder and applications should be scaled accordingly.
What does Friends of Upward Bound UK fund?
Projects that help young people succeed in education and gain meaningful employment. It supports new development of services in response to the needs of the young people in London. Its Charity Commission entry records purposes including the prevention or relief of poverty, economic and community development and employment, education and training, and disability.
Who can apply?
The applicant must be a formally constituted, not-for-profit organisation. These may include charities, schools, colleges, CICs, HEIs and community organisations that have adopted a formal constitution. Beneficiaries should be aged between 11 and 19 and at risk of failing to achieve academic benchmark qualifications, usually identified as predicted GCSE results in core subjects. Alternatively they should be aged between 16 and 25 and in need of support into meaningful employment.
Does it prioritise particular young people?
Yes. Priority will be given to projects whose participants have the most need of intervention. It identifies those by a list of abbreviations, of which it only expands one: SEND, meaning special educational needs and disabilities. The others are given on its site as FSM, PP, LAC, EAL and WP, so check with the funder what it counts under each.
How do I apply to Friends of Upward Bound UK?
You need to complete its online application form, and its board meets quarterly to consider any applications. It will give feedback to applications it rejects and, if appropriate, invite them to reapply once its concerns have been addressed. Check the funder's own website (www.friendsofupwardbound.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1202264) for current guidance, as processes can change.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Friends of Upward Bound UK.