Charities that work with children and young people are being invited to bid for £6m in funding to boost youth employment across the UK.

The funding has been made available by BBC Children in Need and Youth Futures Foundation who are putting forward £3m each to the fund for charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups.

An urgent need to improve skills, employment and training prospects for young people amid the coronavirus pandemic is behind the fund, which is aimed at disadvantaged communities.

The fund, called Inspiring Futures progamme, is giving special recognition to projects that support the needs of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) young people. This is to tackle “racial injustice and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on these communities”.

BBC Children in Need chief executive Simon Antrobus said: “We want to ensure that all children and young people are able to thrive at every stage of their lives and have the chance to achieve their full potential.

"This includes addressing the additional impact COVID-19 will have on their future prospects and employability. We are proud to partner with the Youth Futures Foundation on this programme which will help to transform young lives, unlock their potential and address the root causes of youth unemployment.”

Anna Smee, Youth Futures Foundation chief executive, added: “This joint fund will provide £6 million to support children and young people across the UK who face disadvantage or discrimination, helping them to develop skills, enhance their networks, gain experience and transition into employment.

“With nearly one million young people facing unemployment, this is a crucial time to provide additional support to organisations delivering activities that enable young people to achieve their goals and overcome the barriers they face. We are proud to partner with BBC Children in Need to deliver this rapid response to Covid19.”

Applications for grants open from today (10 July) until 11:30am, 31 July. The awards are up to £80,000 and will be for up to 18 months.

Funding is for 10 to 24 year olds in England, and for 10 to 18 year olds in the rest of the UK.

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