The Department for Education’s £100 million Youth Sector Development Fund (YSDF) has been a highly successful three year programme of grant funding combined with capacity building. Managed and implemented by Primetimers together with Ecorys, Business to Business and Catch22, the YSDF Partnership has been working with 43 of the country’s leading youth charities to deliver innovative programmes and enhance their sustainability.

Achieved through a combination of support such as mentoring, consultancy and peer to peer learning, this approach has taught the managing body much about ‘what works’ when combining funding with capacity building support. We have shared our findings with leading funders, academics and government officials who are interested in innovative approaches and the potential for sustaining quality services beyond funding.

The YSDF Partnership is continuing to provide specialist consultancy support to the charities that are receiving ongoing strategic funding from the Department for Education.