Strategic Voluntary Youth Work Organisation (SVYWO) grant scheme: information for grant applicants

The Strategic Voluntary Youth Work Organisation (SVYWO) Grant) will provide core funding to support voluntary youth organisations, to provide and develop quality Youth Work opportunities for young people in Wales aged 11 to 25.

This grant could provide:

• general core cost support, for example, support to an organisation’s national infrastructure costs in Wales (it is up to the organisation which part of the infrastructure you apply for core funding for)
• stability to organisations to enable good interventions in Wales to continue

Applications are sought from both national voluntary organisations that actively work in a minimum of 18 local authority areas, and smaller specialist targeted youth work services aimed at those with protected characteristics.

Applicants should ensure they read this entire Information for Grant Applicants document, including the annexes, before making an application and ensure their application demonstrates how young people will be supported through youth work approaches as a result of any funding received.

Key Welsh Government policies which link to the outcomes of the SVYWO grant, include: 

• Programme for Government
• National Youth Work Strategy
• Education in Wales: Our National Mission
• Youth Engagement and Progression Framework
• UN Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (UNICEF) and Children's rights in Wales
• Cymraeg 2050: Welsh language Strategy
• Welsh Government’s An Anti-Racist Wales, the Race Equality Action Plan for Wales, co-constructed with our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, will help us create the truly anti-racist Wales we all want to see: Race Equality Action Plan: An Anti-racist Wales
• LGBTQ+ Action Plan for Wales

Subject to the budget review, the SVYWO grant will run from 1 April 2025 and end on 31 March 2028, and it will be broken down as below:

• The proposed budget for the SVYWO 2025 to 2028 round is up to £1.1million per annum
• Of this funding £900,000 will continue to be used as previous for national voluntary youth organisations delivering youth work and operating in 18 or more local authority areas
• £200,000 will be allocated to smaller youth work organisations who may specialise in supporting young people with a protected characteristic or from disadvantaged socio-economic background

The breakdown above may be flexible depending on number and quality of applications received, however the overall total budget for the funding round will remain the same.

The timetable for applications is as follows:

Week commencing 7 October 2024: Full application packs available.

8 November 2024 12:00pm: Deadline for completed applications to be received by the Welsh Government.

November 2024: Applications will be considered by a panel who will make recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary for Education.

31 December 2024: Decisions announced by.

1 April 2025: Funding period starts.

The SVYWO grant programme is managed by the Welsh Government. Organisations interested in making an application for the SVYWO grant are required to complete an application.

Applications should be completed electronically and emailed to:

Bethan.Thomas2@gov.wales and youthwork@Gov.Wales 

Where there is a maximum word count on the application form, we would ask that you do not exceed the word count for these sections.

In order to apply for funding, you must be:

1. a National Voluntary Youth Organisation who can demonstrate you are operating on an all-Wales basis (you must be able to show you are either physically or digitally engaging with a minimum of 18 local authority areas), and (or)

2. a specialist youth work service aimed at young people with protected characteristics or from a disadvantaged socio-economic background which is not widely provided elsewhere, and which would be of strategic relevance to the youth work strategy by increasing equality and diversity of opportunities

   Applications can be joint bids between either or both types of organisations.

3. delivering youth work to young people aged 11 to 25 in line with:

• Youth Work National Occupational Standards
• Youth Work in Wales: Principles and Purposes
• The National Youth Work Strategy for Wales 2019

4. adhering to the UN Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, and the Children and Young People’s National Participation Standards
5. demonstrating how you will meet the language requirements of the young people you work with
6. demonstrating how you will share skills and promising practice with others, in particular round progressing equality and reaching out to increase inclusion

This grant is for core costs. Core costs are to provide organisations with stability in Wales, thus enabling Wales to keep quality youth work interventions. Core costs (also known as running costs) are the regular day to day unrestricted activity costs which are necessary for an organisation to operate. Typically they include overall management, administration and support and premises costs that relate to the whole organisation, rather than to individual projects. These costs are often also called indirect, central or support costs.

Typical core or running costs include:

• salaries of core staff such as managers, administrators, finance staff, cleaners and caretakers
• meetings of the trustees or management committee and their expenses
• rent, heating, lighting, maintenance and insurance (up to a maximum of 50% of the total funding requested)
• administration and office costs, for example, stationery, phone bills, postage, photocopying
• fundraising for the supporting costs for the organisation

Organisations completing the application form for the SVYWO grant funding will be required to provide full details how their bid will meet the range of criteria identified in the application form.

The assessment panel will be looking for evidence against the following areas:

Section A: Information in relation to your organisation(s), including the name and contact details of the person leading on this bid. This section will include details of the eligibility criteria. If you are submitting a joint bid, funding will be provided through the lead organisation. Details are required of all organisations who are part of the application, however key personnel details are only required for the lead organisation, however any conflicts should cover both.

Section B: Your Application details and purpose. This includes:

• an overview of your proposal including specific targets that will be achieved and monitored
• evidence of your eligibility to apply for SVYWO funding
• evidence in relation to meeting the language needs of young people
• evidence in relation to ensuring the quality of your provision

Section C: Managing your proposal. This includes:

• how you will monitor and evaluate your progress, demonstrate achievements, and mitigate any identified risks. You should include details of how young people will feed into your evaluations, and any monitoring systems or tools you will use

Section D: Budget information. This includes:

• detailed information about funding sources, including funding that you are seeking from the SVYWO grant
• evidence in relation to value for money, the drawing in of additional resources
• sustainability

You will also need to give an outline budget breakdown, taking into consideration that this is a three year funding bid and accounting for any increments that may occur during this timescale.

Consideration will also be given to the viability of your organisation and proposed activity (including financial viability).

Additional information required in support of your application form

The application includes other areas that you are required to populate, including the provision of specific documentation (Section E: Advance payments and required documentation).

These include:

• Confirmation if payment in advance is required.
• An organisation chart showing all posts and which also identifies those posts for which grant funding is sought.
• A copy of your Equality Policy.
• A copy of your Safeguarding Policy.
• A copy of your Welsh Language Policy.
• A recent newsletter, if applicable.

Section F of the application form asks you to make relevant declarations and confirm your understanding.

The closing date for receipt of the Application form for the 2025 to 2028 SVYWO funding round is 12:00pm, 8 November 2024. Any application form received after this date and time will not be considered. You must submit your application form electronically to email: youthwork@gov.wales copied to Bethan.Thomas2@Gov.Wales. All parts of your application form must be with us by the above deadline. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

We cannot accept responsibility for application forms not received by the closing time and date. You may wish to set up an e-mail receipt of delivery.

Applications will be considered by a panel consisting of Welsh Government officials, and Youth Work field representatives.

The panel will assess the applications and supporting documentation against the criteria listed above before making their recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary for Education.

Grant applications will be scored a rating of 1 to 4 against the following criteria, with 1 being poor and 4 being excellent:

• eligibility of organisation
• evidence of how organisation is working towards the delivery of youth work to young people
• how the organisation meets the language requirements, in particular the Welsh language
• how the organisation will promote inclusion and equality
• how the organisation is working towards the principles of the Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales
• how young people’s progression through accreditation or certification will be supported and evidenced
• value for money
• sustainability

As this is a competitive grant, we are unlikely to be able to offer a grant to all applicants. If the total funding amount applied for by all applicants exceeds the grant funds available, the scores awarded by the panel will be taken into account.

Notification of grant allocations

Unsuccessful applications will be notified by email on the email address provided as part of the application by 31 December 2024 of the reason(s) why they have not been successful.

Successful applicants will be notified by email on the email address provided as part of the application by 31 December 2024. Soon after they will receive a grant offer letter. All offers of grant will be subject to the Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions of the grant.

To accept the offer of the grant, the applicant will need to sign the offer acceptance and return the whole document to the Welsh Government and include confirmation that those who have signed the offer letter are duly authorised to do so. Funding can then be released as agreed in the terms and conditions.

To enable the Welsh Government to monitor individual grant awards and evaluate the effectiveness of this scheme grant recipient organisations will be subject to a mid year and an annual monitoring arrangement as detailed below.

Grant recipient organisations will be required to provide the following information by 15 October 2025, 15 October 2026 and 15 October 2027:

• Mid-year report (which will be issued by Welsh Government for completion) demonstrating the progress against the agreed objectives and detailing achievements and impact of those achievements. These reports must also include expenditure to date.

Grant recipient organisations will be required to provide the following information by 30 April 2026 ,30 April 2027 and 30 April 2028:

• Annual Evaluation reports (these will be issued by the Welsh Government for completion) demonstrating the progress against the agreed objectives and detailing achievements and impact of those achievements.

Organisations will be expected to attend regular (minimum twice a year) monitoring and review meetings with the Welsh Government’s grant manager.

Additional requirements may also be included in the grant offer letter.

On receipt of a valid claim, payments will be made quarterly in arrears each year in June, September, December and March. Organisations requiring payments in advance will need to complete a payment in advance request form to demonstrate this need. This form can be obtained by successful applicants on request and will need to be completed before the offer letter is issued.

By the end of May 2026, May 2027 and May 2028 grant recipient organisations must provide a 'Statement of Expenditure' certificate (a template will be provided), which must be signed to certify that all grant aid provided was expended for the purposes for which it was provided.

Please note that for organisations with charitable status, annual accounts must be prepared in accordance with the guidance provided by the Charity Commissioners’ ‘Accounting by Charities Statement of Recommended Practice’ or the Commissioners Statements ‘Accrual Accounting for the Smaller Charity’ and ‘Accounting for Smaller Charities Receipts and Payment Basis’, dependent on the organisation’s annual income.

The organisation will be responsible for all claims and receipts in relation to all incurred expenditure. Welsh Government officials reserve the right to undertake a periodic audit on claims throughout the term of the grant funding period.

You will be required to return grant money not used for the approved purpose.

We only pay grant funds for agreed incurred costs.

We will ask you to return any overpayment or make necessary adjustments to future claims.

The Welsh Government must be acknowledged in any publicity about the work assisted by our grant and appropriate logos can be provided to assist with this.

Evidence that the costs have been incurred and paid will be required by the Welsh Government to support any claims under the grant.

Eligible period

Expenditure is eligible under SVYWO if it has been actually incurred and paid out during the grant funding period, on approved activities described in the applicant’s workplan.

All expenditure incurred prior to the 1 April 2025 will be considered ineligible.

Value Added Tax

Value Added Tax (VAT) which is recoverable, by whatever means, is ineligible, even if it is not actually recovered by the applicant.

Non-recoverable VAT can be included in the project application as an eligible cost.

At payment stages applicants will be required to supply confirmation that only non-recoverable VAT costs have been included in the SVYWO application and then claimed during implementation.

Ineligible expenditure 

The following costs are ineligible for support under SVYWO.

This list is not exhaustive:

• costs incurred prior to the 1 April 2025
• bank charges on accounts
• charges for financial transactions, foreign exchange commissions and losses, and other purely financial expenses
• loan charges
• interest or service charges, arising on leases and hire purchase arrangements
• costs resulting from the deferral of payments to creditors
• bad debts arising from loans to employees, proprietors, partners, directors, guarantors or shareholders
• fines, financial penalties and expenses of litigation
• payment for gifts and donations
• entertainment costs
• repairs and maintenance unless directly related to project delivery
• costs incurred by individuals in setting up and contributing towards private pension schemes, or the setting up of such schemes by organisations in receipt of structural funds
• redundancy costs
• payments for unfunded pensions

Failure to fully comply with the terms and conditions in the grant award letter, may result in payment of SVYWO grant being delayed or stopped, and processes set in motion to recover any grant monies already paid. If an organisation experiences any difficulties, they should contact the Welsh Government as soon as possible so that a solution can be found.

The Welsh Government does its utmost to ensure that the Scheme is administered to the highest standard and that all applicant organisations are treated fairly. If an organisation has a complaint or comment about any aspect of the Scheme, they should contact the Welsh Government in writing. The Welsh Government will aim to respond within 15 working days.

It is important that organisations remain independent and do not become over reliant on government funding. Organisations must be able to demonstrate that they are making every effort to raise funds or increase their income from non-governmental sources. 

Officials from the Youth Engagement Branch will provide advice and guidance on the application process during the open bidding round. Officials will be unable to engage in discussion with respect to individual applications. 

Enquiries about the SVYWO Grant Scheme or the application process and completed applications should be directed to:

Bethan Thomas

Tel: 0300 622410 
Email: Bethan.Thomas2@Gov.Wales or youthwork@gov.wales

General voluntary sector youth work support, is available from:

Paul Glaze
Chief Executive
Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services (CWVYS)
Unit 29
Enterprise House, 127 to 129 Bute Street
Cardiff
CF10 5LE

Telephone: 029 2047 3498

Email: paul@cwvys.org.uk

The arrangements for the Strategic Voluntary Youth Work Organisations (SVYWO) Grant Scheme have been publicised through direct mailing, via the Welsh Governments website and social media.

With regards to all grant application and the General Data Protection Regulations “GDPR”, we have published a Grants Privacy Notice. This is to make it easier for you to find out how we use and protect your information within the Welsh Government, when you enquire about or apply for funding. The notice will provide you with additional details such as:

• your increased rights in relation to the information we hold about you
• the legal grounds for how we use your information

The Grants Privacy Notice will apply to any grants or funding we provide to you.

How to find out more

The Privacy Notice was effective from January 2023 and you’ll be able to view it at privacy notice: Welsh Government grants.

The Grants Privacy Notice makes sure we continue to comply with privacy law and regulation.

Salary Costs

Staffing costs are eligible for personnel directly engaged in project delivery, whether full or part time. Applicants must provide a rationale for the basis of costs in the application form. Staff costs include gross salary, employers’ national insurance contributions and may include employers’ pension costs where there is an established pension scheme which applies to all staff. 

Reasonable costs arising from the contract of employment including expected increases in grade or pay scales can be included as eligible costs in the application.

Applicants should identify the most appropriate method of apportioning the staff costs and provide a rationale for the basis of the costs in the application form.

Staff recruitment costs may be eligible.

Sick, maternity, paternity or adoption pay

Sick, maternity, paternity or adoption pay may be eligible if it is in line with the organisation’s staff policy or contained within the individual’s contract of employment. Statutory sick pay or statutory maternity pay recovered from HMRC, even if it is not actually recovered by the applicant, is ineligible. The value should be off set against the value of staff costs applied for. Applicants must provide a rationale for the basis of costs in the application form.

Costs relating to the provision of temporary staff to cover for staff on long-term sick leave or maternity leave during implementation may be considered eligible project costs, however, no additional SVYWO funding will be provided by the Welsh Government. These costs will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Welsh Government.

Travel and subsistence costs

Travel & Subsistence costs can be considered eligible where they relate only to the SVYWO proposal and are considered reasonable by the Welsh Government. Applicants must provide a rationale for the basis of costs in the application form.

Daily allowances and accommodation costs will need to be in line with the employing organisation’s standard policy in respect of subsistence. The Welsh Government will consider these costs during the project assessment to ensure reasonableness. 

Mileage rates should be in line with the statutory rates set by the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments Scheme, these rates can be accessed via 'travel: mileage and fuel rates and allowances' (GOV.UK)

Staff training costs

The cost of staff training in connection with project activity can be included in the application, although it is expected that all organisations who submit an application have appropriately qualified staff to deliver the project. Only staff training costs for training that relates to the acquisition of specialist knowledge to enable them to effectively deliver the SVYWO project should only be applied for. The cost of providing a training provision for staff personal development is ineligible. Applicants must provide a rationale for the basis of costs in the application form.

Training costs for the Level 2 or 3 youth work qualification will not be considered as these courses can be accessed through a number of training providers.

Staff bonuses and incentives

The following are ineligible:

• Tax-free bonus payments or other allowances.
• Exceptional or extraordinary provision of pension rights.
• Bonus payments.
• Loans.
• Company cars.

Professional or consultancy fees and sub-contractors charges

Expenditure for work carried out by a consultant or sub-contractor is eligible if the work is essential to the delivery of the project and the costs are, in the Welsh Government’s opinion, reasonable. Applicants must provide a rationale for the basis of costs in the application form.

Where consultancy fees and contractors’ charges have been subject to an approved tender process, the market rate resulting from that exercise may be included in the application provided the original tender is no more than 3 years old.

Consultancy fees could include legal, accountancy and audit services which are required for the delivery of the project.