The Refurbishment Fund focuses on renovation and repair of youth delivery spaces. Organisations can apply for a grant to cover one-off refurbishment costs for the spaces where they deliver services to young people.
- Eligibility
- Organisations that have received funding from the Charity's Open Programme in the past three years and/or are being funded by JLC at the current time are eligible to apply.
- Organisations need at least a minimum two-year lease or equivalent for a Small Grant or a minimum five-year lease for a Main Grant.
- The building/venue must be used predominantly for the delivery of Children and Young People's activities.
Please note, priority will be given to smaller organisations with a turnover of under £500,000.
Organisations who have received a Refurbishment Fund grant will need to wait three years from completion before re-applying for another.
Schools are not eligible to apply to this Fund.
- How much can you apply for?
There are two types of Refurbishment Fund grants available:
- Refurbishment Small Grants – up to £10,000.The total cost of the refurbishment should not exceed £10,000.
- Refurbishment Main Grants – up to £30,000. We envisage the average grant size to be £15,000. For Refurbishment Main Grant applications, the total cost of the project including the contribution from John Lyon’s Charity must not exceed £100,000.
5% of the grant requested from John Lyon's Charity must be allocated as contingency funding for unexpected costs. For example, if you applied for £5,000 from John Lyon's Charity towards a refurbishment project costing £7,500, £250 must be allocated as contingency funding.
- What can this grant be used for?
The Refurbishment Fund can be used for:
- Minor or essential maintenance to a building such as re-wiring, roof repairs or plumbing.
- Small refurbishments such as upgrades to kitchens used for youth activities, toilets, or other delivery spaces. These can be indoor or outdoor activity spaces.
- Making spaces accessible to users.
- Refurbishments should be restricted to a particular space in the building e.g. the main delivery room, which may have multiple elements, or addressing one key issue in the building e.g. faulty wiring.
We are unable to fund:
- The purchase/renew of equipment (e.g. Air Conditioning and installation). The refurbishments should be for delivery/service users’ space and not other spaces such as offices.
- Retrospective grants or grants made towards works which have already begun.
- New builds or larger capital projects with a total budget over £100,000.
- Refurbishment projects cannot be an extensive list of small jobs around a building.
- Timeframe
Small Grants:
This is a rolling application process with no deadlines. Small Grant applications are considered six times per year.Main Grants:
Proposals can be submitted at any time and applications are considered by the Grants Committee and approved by the Foundation Governors (the Trustee) twice a year in June and November.- How to apply
To apply for either a Small or a Main Refurbishment Grant, please use the "Click here to apply" button above.
- Refurbishment Small Grants – Single-Stage application process.
- Refurbishment Main Grants – Two-Stage application process. In the first stage, you will need to submit a proposal prior to being invited to complete the second stage of the application.
We encourage you to think carefully about the project you have in mind and have firm ideas of dates and costings before you apply. Only one refurbishment grant can be awarded per organisation every three years.
Permissions and documentation needed in the application include:
- Three quotes for works should be submitted as part of your application.
- Relevant permissions, consent and regulatory checks have been obtained to carry out the project.
Additional:
- The project should be completed within a year of the grant offer.
- Works should be guaranteed by contractors for a minimum of one year.
If you are eligible to apply for the Refurbishment Fund, please apply via the Grants Portal here. If you do have any questions regarding this Fund, please contact your Grants Manager or email [email protected].