Bothwell Futures and Thanet Community Development Trust will be awarded £50,000 each after applying through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation’s new open application programme.

The successful applicants were chosen from over 800 organisations that applied for funding after the open application programme launched in March.

Anthony Vigor, Chair of the Foundation, said: “Thank you to all those who took the time to apply for funding. We received a good range of applications from some very worthy causes. These two stood out for the Trustees due to the impact the donation will make to the lives of young people in their local areas.”

Charities and community groups with charitable aims that met the Foundation’s objectives were invited to apply, with this funding round focusing on social mobility and youth development, including learning and training.

Thanet Community Development Trust in Kent will use the funding for its Build a Future project, which helps people obtain the qualifications needed to work in construction. The money will fund 10 courses, each supporting up to 12 people.

Andrew Morris, Head Tutor at Thanet Community Development Trust, said: “We want to thank the Persimmon Charitable Foundation for this generous grant and the opportunities they have given to at least 72 young people in our community. With this funding, Build a Future will give young people facing various disadvantages the support to overcome barriers to finding meaningful work and become self-reliant. The opportunities they will be given will help each person improve their self-confidence, increase their skills, gain new qualifications, and ultimately, find work.”

Bothwell Futures in South Lanarkshire applied for funding for two more years of its employability programme. It will use the donation to support 80 young people who have become disengaged with education, or are leaving school with no positive career destination, into work.

Kevin Moore, Chair of Bothwell Futures, said: “Working with Developing Young Workforce (DYW) and our schools, we’ll be challenging our young people to understand the importance of soft skills in the workplace, while also helping them to focus on career opportunities and how they can best prepare for them.

We are annually taking 40 16-year-old pupils who have challenges in their employment direction, working with them to not only prepare them for work but also to drive their confidence while give them the underpinning supports to make the right career choice.”

A second round of funding will open in June, with an additional two £50,000 donations awarded in August. For more information, click here