Helping care leavers aged 18 – 25 from or living in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland to achieve their aspirations.

About The Brian Roycroft Fund

Making the transition to adult life is a difficult time for most young people, but especially difficult for young people leaving care who may not have enjoyed the stability of a settled family life or the support of their own family.  Care leavers often have to cope with living independently at a young age and can face the future feeling vulnerable and alone.  The Brian Roycroft Fund provides financial support to care leavers to achieve their aspirations and ambitions as they start their future lives.

For over 30 years, Brian Roycroft CBE made a unique contribution helping young people in local authority care and was one of the longest serving Directors of Social Services in the UK.  Brian died in 2002 and left a remarkable legacy of progress in social welfare and a more optimistic future for children in the care of local authorities.  The Brian Roycroft Fund was established at the Community Foundation during his lifetime to mark Brian’s outstanding contribution to social welfare.  The fund is a legacy to his vision and today continues to support the hopes and aspirations of care leavers.

Since 1998, more than 300 young people have received support from the fund and grants have helped young people to:

• Take driving lessons and tests to become more independent.
• Publish a poetry booklet to help with mental health issues.
• Take a forklift driving course to improve chances of gaining a job.
• Attend martial arts lessons to improve chance of competing in competitions.

How to apply

The Community Foundation invites applications on the behalf of care leavers aged 16-25 to the Brian Roycroft Fund.  Requests are considered that enable care leavers to move into settled, safe accommodation; enter further or higher education; find satisfying employment or achieve good health and a positive sense of wellbeing. The grant request should be to meet exceptional or difficult costs. Up to £1,000 can be applied for, though the majority of grants are smaller.

Applications must be made by statutory agencies or voluntary and community organisations, on behalf of a care leaver. To be eligible for a grant, young people must be from or living in Tyne and Wear or Northumberland.  Young people from outside the area but studying at a Further or Higher Education institution in the region are eligible to apply. Applications are especially welcomed on behalf of disabled young people, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and care leavers in the youth justice system.

Grants are provided where there is evidence of hardship and no other alternatives for support. We expect requests for funding will be additional to the responsibilities local authorities have to achieve good parenting for all children in their care.

Applications can be submitted at any time and the panel meets twice a year.

To make an application, please click here