Investing in our Future
The £300m Youth Investment Fund is a transformative one.
By creating, expanding, and improving local youth facilities across the country, it is improving outcomes for a generation.
As a delivery partner, it’s been rewarding to work alongside Resonance and the National Youth Agency, to support Social Investment Business deliver this lifechanging fund. We share a common vision and ethos.
We’re proud to have allocated over £50m across 90 sites, predominantly in the North West, Yorkshire, and the Humber.
Many of the organisations supported are using young people in the design of their youth services – something we can really get behind.
The organisations in this sector do incredible work in difficult circumstances. They need support beyond just capital. At Key Fund, we’re used to providing investment to organisations serving communities most in need, to enable their growth and sustainability.
The Key Fund relationship managers delivered that extra care to help grantees overcome challenges faced, pre and post-investment, and continue to support the grantees.
One of our central missions is to support organisations furthest away from mainstream finance, to help them deliver their life-changing services; working to make sure the flow of money runs to those places, and supports those who do not usually get funds, has been front and centre of our minds.
We’re proud of the diversity and breadth of organisations benefiting from this fund, from small voluntary led charities to large Local Authority-owned assets. The Youth Investment Fund is helping to transform youth services all over England, ensuring youth centres of all shapes and sizes can enhance their services and reach more young people.
The Youth Investment Fund has shown what can be achieved when we work together with shared vision and values.
The Florrie
The Florrie, a Grade II listed building in Liverpool, is a social, cultural, and educational community hub, with its own radio station, Radio Florrie. The Florrie is an existing Key Fund client.
The Florrie dates to the 1930s but closed in the 1980s when it fell into disrepair. It remained closed for 23 years, until the local community raised £7.5 million to restore it to its former glory. Today it is a place of community pride, loved and cherished by everyone.
A community space, it had no dedicated space for young people.
A Youth Investment Fund grant of £834,000 transformed an empty, damp basement to give them a place of their own. It offers a social space to relax and chill, with two recreational rooms, a radio studio, kitchenette, and digital hub.
Anne Lundon, CEO for the Florrie said: “The Youth Investment Fund has given the Florrie’s young people a vibrant space to call their own. But its impact is far greater than just bricks and mortar, it’s about investing in young people’s lives, empowering them to have a say in their future and given them a new lease of life, and the opportunity to have fun, grow in confidence, develop new skills, and take pride in their space. More than anything it’s giving young people a sense of belonging and continuity.”