15 f 2026 | UK Grant Giving
The challenge
In many of the UK’s most deprived communities, young people face significant barriers to reaching their potential. The conditions they grow up in can affect their behaviour, wellbeing and long-term prospects.
Many find mainstream services difficult to access or navigate, increasing their risk of unemployment, poor health and involvement in the criminal justice system. Empire Fighting Chance uses boxing to change their story, building trust, strength and hope – guiding them towards safe, healthy and happy lives.
Boxing for Connection
Empire Fighting Chance has developed a methodology to engage young people. Empire blends authentic (non-contact) boxing training with psychologically informed support, delivered by a trusted coach. Young people get the help they need in a way that feels enjoyable, credible and safe.
Impact
Each year Empire Fighting Chance supports over 10,000 young people who develop two core strengths: self-belief and emotional literacy – helping them better understand and manage their thoughts and feelings with confidence. Through participation in its flagship programme, Box Champions, 90% of young people reported feeling more resilient, 85% improved their school attendance and 93% said they felt more confident.
Our role
We have provided multi-year unrestricted funding to support their direct delivery as well as the replication and scaling of their proven model to partners across the country.
www.empirefightingchance.org
12 f 2026 | UK Grant Giving
The challenge
Too many parents in deprived areas of the UK lack the knowledge, confidence and support networks to help their young children thrive. Without access to trusted guidance or a supportive community, children may face poorer long-term outcomes in health, wellbeing, education and inclusion – ultimately limiting their ability to reach their full potential.
Founded in 2019, Babyzone was created to address this gap in the early years.
Their approach
Babyzone provides free, accessible, evidence-based development classes for parents and young children, delivered in welcoming and inclusive spaces. The programme combines high-quality content with community-building, helping families build confidence, skills and supportive relationships.
Babyzone partners with OnSide, a national network of state-of-the-art youth facilities, to deliver sessions from Youth Zones — providing safe, high-quality environments for families to attend regularly.
Why we funded
We have been long-term supporters of OnSide, including funding the construction of new Youth Zones in Wolverhampton and East Croydon, as well as providing unrestricted core funding. Babyzone offered an opportunity to build on this partnership while backing a promising, evidence-led organisation working at a critical early stage of life.
We are funding 50% of the running costs of a new Babyzone hub in Blackburn over a three-year period.
Impact targets
- Reach 180 families per week by the end of 2025, with 70% from disadvantaged postcodes
- Establish strong links with local early years partners, including Family Hubs, GPs and dentists
- Deliver a full programme of evidence-informed classes for parents and children
What’s next
Babyzone currently operates eight hubs across the UK and aims to reach 20 hubs by 2027. The organisation also plans to publish open, self-generated curricula — including Babyzone Everyday Maths and Babyzone NEST — and, through the Babyzone Academy, train thousands of early years practitioners in its evidence-based approach.
www.babyzone.co.uk
10 f 2026 | UK Grant Giving
The challenge
There is a growing mental health crisis among children and young people and eating disorders match this trend, increasingly being treated at crisis stage rather than through early intervention. Official figures indicate some 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from some form of each disorder although this number is contested as being conservative. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
Why we support
Beat is the leading eating disorder charity in the UK. Their strategy has three pillars (1) Answer the Call: direct support to those in need; (2) Spread the Word: awareness and recognition; (3) Change the Story: policy change, NHS guideline updates and tackling the environment in which eating disorders develop. Beat plays a crucial role in the research ecosystem: connecting researchers with funding and case experience.
Our role
With just 1% of government mental health funding directed to eating disorders, our unrestricted grant supports Beat to extend its reach, strengthen the sector’s collective voice and drive the policy change needed to tackle this serious mental illness.
www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk
10 f 2026 | UK Grant Giving
The challenge
Young people’s mental health in the UK is in crisis. Too many young people are struggling to access the right support at the right time and the gap between need and provision is growing.
Our approach
Mental health in young people is a core funding priority for The Stone Family Foundation. We backed both The Mix and Mental Health Innovations (MHI) as separate charities, due to their shared commitment to innovative digital-first models capable of reaching young people at scale. We supported both organisations with substantial, multi-year unrestricted grants covering core costs.
When the two organisations approached us in 2024 to support their merger, we were pleased to help – there was a clear case for bringing together the organisations’ complementary strengths and services.
What they do
Together, they strengthen early intervention for young people, providing a more robust and accessible support structure. Under one banner, MHI operates the UK’s only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging crisis service for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or acute distress. The Mix provides one-to-one counselling, live support groups, community boards and a peer chat service, all delivered digitally.
What’s next
The merged organisation is now focused on two priorities:
- exploring how AI can extend the reach and efficiency of trained staff and volunteers
- reorienting resources toward earlier intervention, ensuring that crisis support is there for those who need it most.
www.mentalhealthinnovations.org
10 f 2026 | UK Grant Giving
Suicide prevention through human connection
The Listening Place provides ongoing, face-to-face support for people experiencing suicidal crisis. Unlike many crisis services, which focus on brief interventions, The Listening Place offers sustained support from trained volunteers in a safe, welcoming environment.
Why it matters
Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people in the UK. Traditional services are overstretched, and many people fall through the cracks. The Listening Place fills a vital gap, offering care that is both cost-effective and profoundly life-changing.
Our role
We have provided flexible, multi-year funding to support The Listening Place’s growth from a London-based pilot into a model with national relevance. Its success demonstrates how volunteer-led approaches can transform access to mental health support.
www.thelisteningplace.org.uk
