Winners of Inspiring Youth Enterprise grant funding announced

The winners, who will receive grants totalling £250,000, provide a variety of programmes including access to training, mentoring and support, and building the skills necessary to start up and survive in business.

One of the winning programmes, Community Action Little London & Servias (CALLS) works with families and individuals of all ages and backgrounds in Leeds. Its ‘Learning the Business’ screen printing project aims to get local young people aged between 11 and 15 interested in the world of work and business through a 40 week introduction to developing a screen-printing business.

Another winner, Social Enterprise Academy from Edinburgh, will use its grant to give 100 college students and school pupils an in-depth learning and development opportunity, including support to start their own social enterprise business.

The Very Enterprising Community Interest Company will be using its grant funding to supply its innovative ‘Business on the Move’ board game to secondary schools and college teachers of 13 -19 year olds. The board game will help young people learn about, and be inspired by business, as players run their own business and form the same decisions real businesses make every day.

The winners

Each winning organisation will receive a grant of up to £50,000 and will be invited to join the RBS Inspiring Enterprise network. They include:

• The Mighty Creatives – Bank of TMC, Leicester
• RTC North Ltd – Design and Innovation Challenge, Sunderland
• Social Enterprise Academy – Social Enterprise Futures, Edinburgh
• Salford Foundation – Inspired to Aspire, Manchester
• Basingstoke Consortium – Local Entrepreneurs Inspiring Youth, Basingstoke
• Lorna Young Foundation – Not Just a Youth Enterprise, Huddersfield
• Point Blank Theatre Company – Creative Enterprise, Sheffield
• 3G’s Development Trust – Forsythia Your Grass Roots Enterprise, Merthyr Tidfyl
• The Very Enterprising CIC – Business on the Move, Wakefield
• CALLS – Learning the Business, Leeds
• Coleford Area Partnership – Teentrepreneurs, Gloucestershire
• West Fife Enterprise, WEST to Work, Dunfermline

Neil McLean, Chief Executive of one of the successful grant applicants, the Social Enterprise Academy, said: “For a long time now, we’re realised that young people need to have the opportunity to experience this type of business learning beyond school, and with the support of the RBS Inspiring Enterprise grant, we’ll now be able to do that.”

More than 200 organisations submitted applications for funding to RBS Inspiring Youth Enterprise to run programmes for young people.

Judging included a public vote involving more than 7,000 people, and an expert panel including Steve Matthews, Managing Director, Commercial Banking, RBS Group, Dawn Cranswick, of the PNE Group, Andy Penalula of the Swansea Met University and Pinky Lilani, Spice Magic and Asian Women of Achievement.

Thom Kenrick, Head of Sustainability Programmes, RBS Group said: "Once again we were hugely impressed by the depth and breadth of the enterprise support that's available for the UK's young people. RBS is committed to unlocking, supporting and nurturing entrepreneurial talent and we believe these organisations will help us achieve that goal."

Encouraging young entrepreneurs

RBS Inspiring Youth Enterprise has been designed to encourage more young people to explore enterprise, build their skills, start up and succeed in business.

RBS is making £500,000 of grants available every year for the next three years. The grants go to not-for-profit organisations who support young people (13-30 year olds) through dedicated enterprise programmes.

The next round of funding will open for application on 2 September, 2013.

More information on RBS Inspiring Enterprise.