Get Involved

Join us to develop the way we work and award funding here at the Co-op Foundation. Check out opportunities to get involved below.

If you’re an adult that works with young people, please share the following relevant opportunities with them.

Apply for funding

Funding Futures

This £1.4million project aims to support individual young social entrepreneurs aged 16-30 and social enterprises tackling financial inclusion.

Grants are available ranging from £8,000 to £18,000 to: 

• Support young social entrepreneurs (aged 16-30) whose activities directly tackle financial exclusion (for example, debt advice, welfare advice, employability skills, meaningful employment for those financially excluded, or addressing the affordability of goods and services)
• Support young social entrepreneurs (aged 16-30) to support people into or provide meaningful employment for financially excluded (and marginalised) people  

Funding will be provided between May 2024 and March 2026. Applications from those who identify as of the global majority and/or Disabled are particularly encouraged.

Post-award support packages for those funded will include a combination of in-depth 1:1 support, peer-to-peer, and group learning, as well as access to UnLtd Connect, a network of partners offering pro bono and mentoring support.

Whilst the majority of the funding comes from the Co-op Foundation, Unltd was chosen as the delivery partner for this programme, because of their expertise and track record of supporting young individuals in this way. All the details you need are in the outreach pack. 

Download our Funding Futures Outreach pack

Get involved with the Foundation

Young Gamechangers Fund

We’ve awarded grants up to £20k a year directly to young people to transform their communities in round one of YGF. If you’re a young activist, campaigner, disrupter, co-operator or social entrepreneur (or a group that supports young people who are sign up to our blog to find out about our second round of funding.

We’re looking for young people aged 18-25 years old from across the country to join our Young Gamechangers Fund (YGF) Steering Group.

YGF Steering Group Members will:

• Use their knowledge and own experiences to ensure that the fund works for people like them
• Work with other young people, online and in-person
• Be part of creating change for young activists and gamechangers across the country
• Support the design and development of further rounds of funding

We know that some young people find it difficult to access power and resources so we are particularly keen to hear from those who:

• Come from Global Majority communities
• Are from a working class background
• Identify as Disabled
• Identify as LGBTQIA+
• Are care-experienced
• Represent geographically diverse communities across the UK
• Experience additional barriers to taking part in opportunities like this

Please send an email to ygf@globalfundforchildren.org to register your interest, or if you would like to discuss the role (including the commitment involved and the payment for your time).

Future Communities Collective

We’re looking for more young people (aged 17-23) to join our Future Communities Collective!

Our Future Communities Collective is currently made up of five young people aged 18-24 from across the UK. They collaborate with the Co-op Foundation to embed youth voices into the organisation. We want to double the number of members we currently have to ensure we have a diverse range of perspectives.

As a young person, The Co-op Foundation knows you have a big stake in the future of our communities. They see and value the difference that young people, like you, are already making as leaders, co-operators, activists and pioneers. That’s why they want to work with you to help bring a youth perspective into how they work and the decisions they make.

As a collective member, you will have opportunities to work alongside the Co-op Foundation to:

• design and allocate funding
• support and advise on Co-op Foundation communications and campaign work
• shape new projects and funding programmes
• inspire more young people to get involved in tackling issues that affect them

Collective members currently contribute between 2 – 10 hours a month. The work is flexible and based on your interests and availability.

Applicants do not need to have experience in decision-making and grant making, but they should demonstrate an interest in increasing young people’s involvement in these processes.

We want the collective to reflect the diversity of the communities supported by Co-op Foundation, and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups.

This refers to a wide range of identities, including but not limited to racialised communities, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, those from working-class backgrounds, individuals with long-term health conditions, and those with experience in care, homelessness, or the criminal justice system.

Interested in becoming a member? Find out more about the role and meet current Future Communities members by joining us online for a 30-minute information session on Wednesday 19 June and Tuesday 27 June at 6 pm.  

You can sign up to attend an information session here . Once you are signed up, you will receive an email and a calendar invite to confirm your attendance.

Ready to apply now? You can click on this link to fill out your application form. The deadline for applications is Sunday 30 June 2024.