Want to have a say in activities in your area? 

The Hackney Youth Opportunity Fund (HYOF) is grant funding made available by the London Borough of Hackney to fund projects for young people in Hackney.

The projects are totally young people-led. Young people come up with ideas for activities and young people make the decisions about which projects to fund.

The aim of the fund is to:

• Give young people a voice in making decisions
• Improve ‘things to do and places to go’ for young people
• Help involve disadvantaged and hard-to-reach young people
• Invest in youth facilities, particularly in deprived areas.

Application deadlines for the 2013-14 Fund

• Round One deadline: 15 April 2013 for activities taking place in Summer and early Autumn 2013. Grants will be made in early June.

• Round Two deadline: 23 September 2013 for activities taking place in Autumn 2013/Winter 2014. Grants will be made in late October.

Download the application forms

• Zipped Files (all files in zipped folder)

What we fund

Hackney YOF money can be used for an activity or project that benefits you and your friends/youth group and other young people in Hackney. Hackney YOF can fund a wide range of activities and projects including sports, arts, culture, citizenship and volunteering. The grant can also be used to pay for small pieces of equipment such as computers, musical instruments, sports gear, arts and crafts supplies and props for creative activities.

Just some of the projects that have been made possible through Hackney YOF funding over the past years

• Hackney Quest Keep the Peace
• NLMCC Giving to Gambia
• Grand Tour of Hackney
• Cycling Club Hackney

YOF will not fund:

• activities/projects planned without young people's involvement
• a project that has already happened
• a project which it has already funded for the same group unless – (a) your group is applying for a new project;  or (b) the project is for the benefit of a new and different group of young people from the same organisation
• Core costs for an organisation.

Become a YOF Panel member

Funding decisions are made by young people from Hackney aged between 13 and 19 years of age (up to 25 years if you have support needs). The Hackney YOF Panel meets roughly every quarter and attends a series of meetings to assess grant applications. If you'd like to have a say in activities for young people in your area, apply now to be a Panel Member. Simply email tom.sheppard@hackney.gov.uk