The Chill Out Fund provides matched funding for projects for young people.
Want to appeal a decision? Download the appeals form and guidance
Unlucky? Try some of these other funding sources
Projects funded by the Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth Capital Fund
“these funds provide a real opportunity to improve provision and facilities for young people and will make a difference to both them and their neighbourhoods. The Government has, for the first time, put much of the responsibility for deciding what they need in the hands of young people themselves.”
Beverly Hughes Minister for Children, Young People and Families
Where can I download funding forms I can fill in on my computer?
Sorry, but the forms must be printed out and filled in by the young people who are applying for the funding. The Chill Out Fund Form uses Microsoft Word format, and you may fill this out on your computer if you wish.
Where should I send the forms in to?
You can send forms in by post to Ruth Kempson, IYSS, Knights Court, 21, Between Towns Road, Oxford, OX4 3LX or by email to ruth.kempson@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
Can I apply on last year's form?
Sorry, that is not possible. Please use this year's forms for this year's funding round.
What else do I need to do before I apply?
Please read the Funding Guidance Notes in full, the contain crucial information about how to apply. If you are applying for the Chill Out Fund, guidance notes are included in the Chill Out Fund Application Form.
Where can I get more help for my application?
There's lots of information, check-lists and a flow chart describing the application process in full in the
Funding Guidance Notes. You should download them and read them in full before you make your application. There are also notes on the Youth Opportunity Fund and Capital Fund Applications Form, and on the Chill Out Fund Application Form. You can can also read the Hints and Tips page on this website, as well as this page of questions! You can also contact your Involving Young People worker, who can provide more support.
I've hear you have to fill in last year's evaluation before you can apply again, is this true?
Yes. You must complete your evaluation for the previous year's project before your group can apply again.
Can I download a list of all the projects which have been funded?
You can download a list of projects funded in 2008/9 funding round, and read about projects funded previously. You can also download the full list of projects funded in 2007/8.
How much money is there in the funds?
Every year, there is approximately £300,000 in the Youth Opportunity Funds, and the same amount in the Youth Capital Funds. In the Chill Out Fund, there is about £200,000.
Who will be distributing the funding for the Youth Opportunity Fund?
This funding is distributed by the Integrated Youth Support Service of the Children, Young People and Families Directorate in Oxfordshire County Council. The Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth Capital Fund is spent at young people’s discretion on projects to improve things to do and places to go in Oxfordshire. The funding is distributed by young people for young people’s projects through Divisional Young People’s Forums who also form a countywide group to consider any relevant county wide applications.
I'd like to be on a judging panel, can I do that?
Different groups of young people in Oxfordshire judge bids for the Youth Opportunity and Capital Funds. If your group would like to host a panel, then please contact your local Decision Making and Young People worker.
How do you decide who gets the Chill Out Fund?
The Chill Out Fund is allocated at open public meetings in County Hall. Anyone can attend. There are details of times and how to find out more on the Chill Out Fund application form and notes.
How will the funding be shared out in the county?
Each forum will receive a proportion of the funding dependent on numbers of young people and elements of need. There will also be a countywide allocation for countywide projects.
When are the funding deadlines?
There is no funding deadline for the youth opportunity fund, this is allocated on a rolling basis at three meetings per month. For the youth capital fund, the funding deadlines are
The monthly Chill Out Funding deadlines are given on the Chill Out Application form.
What sort of projects will the funding be supporting?
The funding is for positive activities and facilities for young people at neighbourhood level, i.e. what young people want locally. Activities funded through the Youth Opportunity Fund can cover a range of interests including sports, the Arts and ICT and the Youth Capital Fund can be used to refurbish or build a youth space within an existing community amenity, for youth shelters, mobile skate parks and ICT as new build facilities.
What do you mean by positive activities?
Positive activities for young people are enjoyable, interesting and support the five outcomes from Every Child Matters:
What age young people will be involved in the projects?
For the Chill out fund, the target age range for the funding is 8-19 years, or up to 24 where there are disabilities or special needs. For the Youth Opportunity and Capital Funds, the target age range is 13-19 years, or up to 24 where there are disabilities or special needs.
Who should be applying for funding?
For the Youth Opportunity Fund, bids should be young person led, with support from youth workers and organisations, voluntary groups, etc. Any organisation working with young people in Oxfordshire may apply for funding from the Youth Capital Fund, although young person interest and support must be a strong part of the bid. Any organisation working with young people in Oxfordshire may apply for the Chill Out Fund.
How can young people who want to put forward a bid get support?
Young people can get support towards making bids from the Youth Support Services, either through their local Youth Worker, Key Worker, Support Worker or from central Youth Support Services. You can email to ask about getting support and to find out how to contact workers in your area. Please include your contact details and a short description of your project. You can also contact your Decision Making and Young People worker, who can provide more support.
What size of grant can we apply for?
This depends on which fund your project comes under.
There is more Guidance on this in Funding guidance Notes.
What sort of amounts have been granted already? Can I see a list?
Applications come in for all sorts of different amounts (from as little as £100) and all are carefully considered by the Divisional Youth Forums to see whether the grant represents value for money i.e. how much benefit the grant can convey, and to how many different young people. You can see lists of the projects funded on the projects page.
Can we apply for funding for a project that has already happened?
No, these funds cannot be applied for retrospectively.
Can we apply for a project that's happening next year?
Your project should be completed within the grant period, i.e. by the end of March 2011.
What do we need to include with our application?
The application form includes full instructions about how to fill it in and what additional information should be included. Be sure to remember:
Please see the Funding Guidance Notes and the application form for more details.
Can we make a presentation at a funding meeting?
If your application is for the Youth Capital Fund, or for an amount greater than £1,000 from the Youth Opportunity Fund, you will have to make a presentation. However, please include all relevant information with your application form, as invitations to present will be based upon applications.
Can you tell me more about how the panel will score my application?
This is the checklist the panel uses when scoring applications, it is also included in the Funding Guidance Notes.
My funding application has been turned down, can I reapply?
Yes, you can reapply right away. We advise that you contact your Decision Making and Young People worker who can suggest ways to improve your application.
My funding application has been turned down, can I appeal?
If the decision was made less than two weeks ago and you feel your application was turned down unfairly, you can appeal the decision using the
Does the County Council offer other grants or funding?
You can find out about other sources of grants and funding from the Grants and Funding Page on the Oxfordshire County Council website. This page also has links to independent and charitable funds.
What other funds are available for work with young people?
There are lots of different funds available from many different organisations for work with young people. These are some, you can find out about others on the Grants and Funding Page on the Oxfordshire County Council website.
Can you advise us about these other sources of funding?
We are unable to offer any advice relating to other sources of funding.
I've heard that you can't apply if you've applied before, is that true?
No. We will consider applications from groups which have applied before as long as you have provided your evaluation for the previous project.
The young people in our group aren't able to fill in the forms, what can we do?
If all the young people in a group are unable to fill in a form, an adult can help. However, you will need to explain why this is, and what you have done to work round it, e.g. by attaching a description of meetings, or collecting supporting statements. All projects must demonstrate that they are young person led and genuinely represent the young people involved.
Could you tell me some more about the application process?
You can see a step-by step guide to how the application and funding process works on this diagram, which is also included in the Funding Guidance Notes.
I'm working with younger children, can I still apply?
The target age range for YOF/YCF is 13-19 years, or up to 24 where there are disabilities or special needs. If you are working with younger children (aged 5-13) there is another local fund available for projects, called the Community Chest.
For more information, please download the Funding Guidance Notes and the application form.
The Youth Opportunity Fund and the Youth Capital Fund exist to give young people the funding and support they need to make positive change at a community level.
If you are aged 13-19, and have an idea about new things to do and places to go that would make life for young people in your area more fun and interesting, but aren't sure about how to proceed, you can email funding@spired.com to find out more.
