Grants of £200 to £2,000 for youth projects across East Suffolk close at 9am on Friday 2 October. Clubs, charities and parish councils can apply.

Community groups across the Suffolk coast have until 9am on Friday 2 October to apply for a share of £32,000 from East Suffolk Council’s new Youth Fund. Grants run from £200 to £2,000, and the fund will cover the whole cost of a project. (East Suffolk Youth Fund, guidance for applicants 2026-27)

The money comes from the council’s Community Partnership Board, which handed £40,000 to the East Suffolk Youth Council and asked it to decide how to spend it. The Youth Council put £32,000 into this grants scheme and kept the rest for projects its own members are designing. (East Suffolk Council, 11 August 2026)

Applications will be judged by a panel of Youth Councillors sitting alongside council officers, meeting in October or November.

What the fund will pay for

The Youth Councillors wrote the guidance themselves and named ten priorities:

  • sustainability and the environment
  • sport and leisure
  • transport and accessibility
  • skills that help with work and future training
  • activities for older young people, aged 14 to 18
  • mental health and wellbeing
  • removing the cost barriers to schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
  • youth facilities and clubs
  • youth provision in rural areas
  • access to the arts and cultural activities

The guidance gives worked examples of what that might buy: a contribution towards a bike track or stunt park, transport to existing youth activities, a new after-school club, cooking equipment for a club, or subscriptions for uniformed groups.

Who can apply

The scheme is open to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations. Specifically:

  • constituted community and voluntary groups
  • registered charities
  • not-for-profit organisations, including community interest companies limited by guarantee and charitable incorporated organisations
  • village hall and recreation ground committees
  • member associations
  • town and parish councils

Anyone who has taken East Suffolk Council funding before must have returned the monitoring form for it, or the new application will not be considered.

What it will not pay for

This is where most applications come unstuck, so it is worth reading before you start:

  • individuals, families, or anyone applying on behalf of an individual
  • sole traders, businesses, or any group operating for profit
  • core costs, business as usual, or making up lost income
  • anything that has already happened or been paid for
  • repeat funding for an activity the council has already funded
  • statutory obligations, such as curricular activity in schools
  • projects that duplicate or displace another organisation’s provision
  • sponsored or fundraising events, bursaries, and trips abroad
  • VAT, if your organisation can reclaim it

National and regional organisations can apply only if they have a local base or the project specifically benefits East Suffolk residents. If it benefits people outside the district too, any grant is scaled down to match: the council’s example is that if 30% of participants live in East Suffolk, the maximum grant is 30% of the costs.

What it means for you

If you run a club, a scout or guide group, a sports team, a village hall or a parish council along this coast, this is a small pot with a short deadline and unusually broad terms. It will fund 100% of a project, though the council says it particularly welcomes local match funding, and volunteer time or discounted goods count towards that.

The practical points:

  • Deadline: 9am, Friday 2 October 2026. Late applications will not be accepted.
  • Decisions are expected within three to four weeks of the fund closing.
  • Your project must not start before the grant is awarded.
  • The money has to be spent by the end of October 2027.
  • A monitoring form afterwards is mandatory, including attendance figures, receipts and at least two photographs.

The application form and full guidance are on the council’s East Suffolk Youth Fund page. Questions go to grants@eastsuffolk.gov.uk.

The council says further rounds may follow if the £32,000 is not fully allocated, but advises applicants to assume it will all go in this one.

Looking for something for young people to do in the meantime? See our guide to things to do in Woodbridge.