King's Trust

The King's Trust, formerly The Prince's Trust and founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales), is the UK's leading youth charity with a mission to empower young people aged 11-30 facing adversity—such as unemployment, school exclusion, homelessness, disability, mental health issues, or criminal justice involvement—through practical, financial, and motivational support. Its ethos emphasizes inclusivity, sustainability, and opportunity, helping over 1.3 million youth across 20+ countries realize their potential via personal development, skills-building, and pathways to education, employment, or entrepreneurship. Distinctive for its royal patronage, global network, and evidence-led scale, it convenes partners to tackle youth disadvantage systemically.

It prioritizes youth development programmes including free courses, mentorship, employability training, enterprise education, business start-ups, work placements, and mental health support, targeting disadvantaged groups like care leavers, disabled youth, and those at risk of exclusion. Funding supports direct individual aid, partnerships for health/social care pathways, and invited organisational projects delivering measurable outcomes in confidence, skills, reduced unemployment (e.g., 125,000+ businesses started), and social mobility.

Unsolicited organisational grants are not accepted—only invite-only partnerships for charities of varying sizes delivering youth impact UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) or internationally via affiliates. Individuals apply directly online after eligibility checks for Development Awards (£10-£500 for education/training costs) or Enterprise grants/loans (up to £500 testing; £5,000 grants/£500-£30,000 loans for start-ups), with rolling applications and 4-8 week decisions. Exclusions focus tightly on ages 11-30 and employment/education/enterprise impacts; no open calls for core funding or non-youth work.