Through support from the Julia Rausing Trust,the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) Access Without Limits programme offers funding to registered charities, voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises to establish a sustainable DofE offer.
DofE is open to ages 14 - 24, and runs in schools, youth clubs, hospitals, prisons and many other venues across the UK.
The fund offers grant funding of up to £10,250 for eligible voluntary and community organisations across the UK to set up and deliver the Duke of Edinburgh Award, including the enrolment costs for marginalised young people. Any funding awarded must be spent by Tuesday 31 March 2026.
Applicants must be a Voluntary and Community organisation (VCO) that fits into either of the following criteria:
Delivery location is in a top 20% area of deprivation (IMD 2 or below), or
Organisations where the majority of their young people are from one or more of the following marginalised groups:
- Those who have additional needs.
- Those who are deemed ‘at risk’ (by ‘at risk’, the programme refers to any young person who may be vulnerable due to, for example, their age, mental health, disability, illness, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, economic status or who may be unable to protect themselves from abuse).
- Those who receive Free School Meals (FSM)
- Those who are eligible for Pupil Premium (PP), Pupil Equity Funding or the 16- 19 Bursary.
- Young people at risk of exclusion from education.
- Those who are looked after or in care.
- Young people who are responsible for caring for someone else.
- Parents under the age of 18.
- Young people whose first language is not English, Welsh or Gaelic.
- Asylum seekers.
- Refugees, and/or
- Young people in custody.
In addition:
- Applying organisations must have a track record of primarily working with marginalised young people.
- Applying organisations/groups must be an incorporated Voluntary, Community or Social Enterprise (VCO) Organisation, that has been established for at least one year. Examples include Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO) and Charitable Companies Limited by Guarantee.
- Applying organisations must have a bank account in the organisation’s name, with two or more unrelated signatories and any reserves accrued by organisations are reinvested to support the applicant’s work (i.e. not for profit). Applicants will also need to be able to provide copies of their most recent annual accounts.
- Applicants must be able to meet the requirements of a DofE Licensed Organisation (LO) and will be required to sign a Directly Licensed Centre (DLC) agreement or be part of an operating authority (OA) licence.
- Each organisation will require a designated Licence signatory and DofE Manager, both will receive dedicated support from an Operations Officer to help them get the programme up and running with support every step of the way.
Please note that as a part of the process, organisations will need to undergo a due diligence check and will be asked to produce documentation, including safeguarding policies and profit and loss accounts.
- Applicants can be supported by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Operations Teams to develop project proposals for how DofE funding will be used. Examples of what could be included in the funding packages are (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
- A contribution to the Duke of Edinburgh Licence Fee.
- Funded Participation Places for young people to enrol on DofE.
- Bursaries for adult leader training courses – this could be for sectional activities, first aid, safeguarding or qualifications related to the outdoors.
- A bursary for an Approved Activity Provider (AAP) to run the Expedition section for DofE participants.
- Equipment that supports the sections of the DofE (Expedition, Physical, Skills or Volunteering).
- Internal Staff Cost. This can be up to a maximum of one third of the available funding. The costs should be reasonable and offer good value for money.
Further examples about how the funding can be used is available in Appendix 1 of the Guidance Notes.
The application process is as follows:
- Step 1 - contact your DofE Operations Officer to find out more.
- Step 2 – if you are eligible, complete the DofE Licence Due Diligence process.
- Step 3 - once the Due Diligence process is complete, apply for a DofE licence.
- Step 4 - once you have a DofE licence, fill in the grant application form with the support of your Operations Officer.
- Step 5 - Submit your application form using the guidance document, which your Operations Officer will supply. You will also need to read and confirm you agree to the DofE’s Terms and Conditions.
- Step 6 - your application will be reviewed, and you will receive an email from your Operations Officer confirming whether it has been successful or not.
- Step 7 - if successful, use your grant in line with the agreement, making sure you keep copies of all receipts/invoices.
- Step 8 - Complete an interim and end of year report by the dates stated on your application form.
Further information is available on the Duke of Edinburgh website and in the charity's Annual Report.
The deadline for applications is Saturday 31 January 2026. Any funding awarded must be spent by Tuesday 31 March 2026.