Pudsey Next Steps

Important Update about our Grantmaking

As part of our ongoing commitment to improving our systems and processes, BBC Children in Need are transitioning to a new grantmaking system. This transition will take place throughout 2025 and we will launch our new system by the end of September. During this period there will be some disruption to our grant programmes.

As a result BBC Children in Need will be unable to accept new Expressions of Interest applications after 15th April 2025 until we launch our new grantmaking system, by the end of September 2025.

Your current online account (also known as the grantee portal) will close on 25th July 2025. We will launch our new grantee portal by the end of September 2025.

We want to minimise the disruption this transition will have on all our applicants and grantees. If you are a current applicant or grantee then we will be contacting you directly with information about how this affects you.

For more information please visit our Transition to New Grantmaking System Frequently Asked Questions

Pudsey Next Steps

Pudsey Next Steps focuses on new applicants working in under-served geographic and/or thematic areas across the UK.

The Pudsey Next Steps funding programme will help achieve greater equity, diversity and inclusion in our grant-making by reaching under-served and marginalised children and young people. They may be affected by challenges including poverty, discrimination, and exclusion. For example, this could include care experienced or disabled children and young people. It may include racially minoritised children and young people.

The Pudsey Next Steps programme is currently open. You apply through our Project Costs or Core Costs programmes. If you meet the criteria for this programme, including the local priorities below, we may consider you for Pudsey Next Steps funding. If you do not meet the criteria for Pudsey Next Steps, we will process your Project Costs or Core Costs application as usual. If you have any questions about the programme or how to apply, please contact us on 0345 609 0015.

What do we mean by ‘under-served’?

Areas where our funding is not reaching marginalised children and young people. We identify these areas using internal and external data and research.

What do we mean by ‘marginalised’?

When children and young people are treated differently or experience social, economic and political barriers. These barriers mean they are less able to participate in aspects of daily life or access services or opportunities. Children and young people can be marginalised due to a range of factors. These could include sexual identity, gender identity, gender, geography, ethnicity, poverty or disability.

Our commitment to equity and inclusion:

BBC Children in Need commits to fairness and making a positive difference for children and young people. It is our responsibility to embrace a diverse, equitable, and inclusive approach to everything we do. Children and young people are great at this and we need to be too.

We encourage you to contact us with any feedback about our grant-making. We want to be as accessible and supportive as possible for your organisation. This could mean translating our application into another language. We will also speak to you to help clarify any questions. If you need help to apply, please phone us on 0345 609 0015, or email [email protected].

As we get further on this journey together we will develop to ensure we are an equitable, diverse, and inclusive grant-maker.

We want our application process to work well for you. It’s new to us too, so we’ll be learning and improving as we go. Please let us know if you have any thoughts or suggestions for improving it.

Pudsey Next Steps funding is for new applicants to BBC Children in Need. We will support organisations which:

Address the specific local priorities identified for this round in their Nation or Region (see table below)
Have not been funded by BBC Children in Need before
Have an annual income of £100,000 or less (according to the organisation’s latest complete set of accounts)
Are based in the community they serve
Are reaching children and young people aged 0-18 years who are experiencing inequality of opportunity

Organisations can apply for:

Grants from £1,000 – £15,000 per year for up to three years
Core (organisational running costs) or Project funding

If you would like to discuss applying to the Pudsey Next Steps programme, please contact your local team.

When Can I apply?

As a result BBC Children in Need will be unable to accept new Expressions of Interest applications after 15th April 2025 until we launch our new grantmaking system, by the end of September 2025.

The deadline for Expressions of Interest for Pudsey Next Steps funding is 11:59am on 15th April 2025.

Local Priorities for the Pudsey Next Steps programme in Spring 2025

Scotland	In Scotland, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations working with racially minoritised children and young people. We particularly welcome applications from organisations working with children and young people from Asian communities.
Northern Ireland	In Northern Ireland, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations working with racially minoritised children and young people outside of the Belfast area.
Wales	In Wales, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations that work with children and young people affected by challenges and barriers connected to discrimination, stigma, and exclusion situated in Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil and Powys. AND/OR Organisations working with racially minoritised children and young people outside of the Cardiff area.
North of England	In the North of England Region, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations working with children and young people from Asian communities in Rochdale, Lancashire, Sheffield, Newcastle and Middlesbrough. We particularly welcome applications from organisations working with children and young people from Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities
Central England	In the Central England region, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations working with Early Years children in Birmingham and Leicester.
South West England	In the South-West England region, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations working with racially minoritised children and young people. We particularly welcome applications from organisations working with children and young people from Asian communities.
London	In London, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations situated in Bexley, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Merton. AND/OR: Care experienced children and young people. AND/OR: Children and families living in unstable, unsuitable or temporary accommodation.
South East England	In the South-East England region, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations working with marginalised children and young people in Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, Gravesham, Hastings, Isle of Wight, Milton Keynes, Southampton and Thanet. AND/OR Organisations reaching racially minoritised children in any part of the South East England region.

Not every organisation will be eligible for Pudsey Next Steps. It is important that you check the eligibility criteria carefully. If you are not eligible for the Pudsey Next Steps programme, your Expression of Interest will be processed as a Project Costs or Core Costs application. Please also review the eligibility criteria for our rolling Project Costs or Core Costs grant programmes before you apply.

Feel free to contact us on 0345 609 0015 or [email protected] if you are unsure which programme suits your organisation’s needs.

Pudsey Next Steps will open again in late 2025 with a different focus and priorities.

Eligibility

Who can apply?

Organisations which have not been funded by BBC Children in Need before
Organisations with an annual income of £100,000 or less
Not-for-profit organisations working with children and young people aged 18 or under
Organisations that work with children and young people who live in the UK, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands
You can only apply for and hold one grant at any time.
If we do not fund your application we will advise you when you are next able to apply to us.
Organisations which meet our Minimum Standards for Grant-making

The people and organisations that BBC Children in Need fund will be:

Working with children and young people aged 18 years and under
Working in the heart of their communities, particularly in times of crisis
Putting children and young people at the centre of everything they do, from design to delivery
Addressing challenges faced by children and young people, building their skills and resilience
Empowering children and young people, and extending their choices in life
Keen to keep learning about and developing their work with children and young people
Committed to making a difference in children and young people’s lives

BBC Children in Need doesn’t fund:

Work that statutory bodies (such as schools or local authorities) have a duty to fund
Educational institutions, including schools, universities, and pupil referral units. Special schools are the only exception; please see our A–Z Guidance for more detail
Local government, prisons, or NHS bodies
Capital or building projects
Projects that promote religion
Trips abroad, or other activity taking place outside the UK
Medical treatment or research
Pregnancy testing or advice, information, or counselling on pregnancy choices
Awareness-raising work, except where targeted at children or young people most at risk
Bursaries, sponsored places, fees, or similar costs
Holidays where there is little or no project involvement
Political activity, including party political organisations or direct lobbying
Individuals
Costs passed on to other organisations
General appeals or endowment funds
Help with budget shortfalls or debt repayments
Work that has already taken place – or any costs incurred – before the date we give you a decision (retrospective funding)
Projects unable to start within 12 months of the grant award date
Unspecified expenditure
Any activity that is already being funded through another grant. We cannot fund the same activity twice. All applications should clearly demonstrate that they are either for different work, or for work with a different cohort of children and young people.

Should your organisation apply?

It’s very important that you refer to our online A–Z Guidance before you apply for funding. It may also save you the time and effort of applying for costs we don’t fund. You should also check that you meet our Minimum Standards for Grantmaking.

Our A-Z Guidance includes details of our grantmaking policies. Some will be relevant to every application, such as our Safeguarding Children policy. Others are important for certain types of applications, such as work involving counselling, or projects seeking funding for equipment.

This programme is for organisations working in areas which we have identified as being under-served. If you are not working in these areas, you may still be eligible for our Project Costs or Core Costs programmes.

How much should you apply for?

Applicants to this programme can apply for grants for up to three years.
You can apply for between £1,000 and £15,000 per year.
The minimum you can apply for is £3,000 (£1,000 per year).

How do you apply?

The Pudsey Next Steps programme is currently open. You apply through our Project Costs or Core Costs programmes. If you do not meet the criteria for Pudsey Next Steps, we will process your Project Costs or Project Costs application as usual. If you have any questions about the programme or how to apply, please contact us on 0345 609 0015.

I have submitted an application form, what happens next?

What happens after you submit a Pudsey Next Steps Expression of Interest form?

After you submit your Expression of Interest form, we’ll send you an email to confirm that we have it. This email will give you more information about what happens next.

If your Expression of Interest is not progressed to the next stage, we’ll email you to explain our decision. Due to the high volume of organisations registering through this process, we cannot give you any further feedback at this stage.
If we do decide to progress your Expression of Interest, we’ll send you a link to a full online Application Form
Once we’ve sent you this link, you’ll be able to access the full application form in your online account
You’ll have 30 days to submit your full application, from the day we send you the link

What happens after you submit a Pudsey Next Steps full application form?

After you submit the full application form, we’ll send you an email to confirm we’ve received it. This email will also give you more information about what happens next.

First, we will check that the costs you applied for are eligible for our funding
We may ask you to book a time slot with us for a brief phone call about your safeguarding procedures
We may also ask for more information about your application or your work
Applications are sent to a decision-making meeting in your region or nation, where a funding recommendation is made
A final decision is made about whether to offer you a grant. Once a decision is made, we’ll email you to confirm the outcome.

What happens when you get a decision?

If your application is successful, we’ll send you an email to confirm this. The email will explain more about what happens next. You can also find more information in the ‘I have a grant’ section.

There may be some further conditions on your grant. These are changes you’ll need to make, or things you’ll need to tell us, before we can award you the agreed funding
You must start spending the grant within 12 months of the date that we email you our decision

If your application is unsuccessful, we’ll send you an email to confirm this. The email will give you a brief reason for our decision.

You can also contact us if would like further feedback.

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