Holiday Activity and Food Programme (Department of Education) and #YES Funding

The Youth Engagement Strategic Partnership Board (#YES) have been supporting organisations by providing funding to organisations to deliver school holiday activities.

We are pleased to announce additional funding opportunities to ensure the City has activities during Easter, Summer and Christmas and half term holidays. 

The Youth Engagement Strategic Partnership Board (#YES) will be assessing all funding applications.

The Board plays an integral role in ensuring the city's Youth Engagement Strategy is delivered. The board was launched in November 2020, is supported by the City of Wolverhampton Council's Coproduction and Youth Engagement Team and has been working on the development of the application form.

The Youth Engagement Strategic Board is comprised of reps from Youth Voice Groups across the city, these include the Youth Council, Culture & Diversity Group, HY5 (SEND Forum), Children In Care Council (CiCC) and the Local Youth Ambassador Groups. 

The Holiday Activity Fund and #YES Fund has an eligibility criteria targeting children eligible for free school meals.  

Organisations in and around Wolverhampton are being invited to bid for grant aid to deliver Holiday Activities and Food schemes across the City until 2025.

A new Grants Framework (Funding Rounds A and B) is inviting bids from charities and voluntary organisations, social enterprises, local sports clubs and private sector providers to deliver the DfE-funded HAF programme during the main school holidays (Summer, Christmas and Easter) through to 2025.

Funding Round A covers the school holidays of Summer 2023, Christmas 2023, Easter 2024, Summer 2024 and Christmas 2024. Funding Round B is just for Summer 2023 on its own.

See below for the HAF grant application form, specification and guidance or email haf@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Further information on HAF is also available from the Department for Education (DfE) website.

The closing date for applications for Funding Rounds A and B is 16th June 2023.

HAF Grant Application Form 2023

HAF Grants Framework Overview HAF Specification & Application 2023

#YES Survey 2022 - Youth Activities

As a DFE funded programme, there are certain criteria you will need to meet to run a local HAF programme. Your local HAF programme will: -

  1. All young people involved in the project MUST live in Wolverhampton. 
  2. Young people must be eligible for free school meals
  3. You must use the barcode scanning provided to successful applicants
  4. Minimum of 4 days face to face delivery
  5. Minimum of 4 hours delivery per day
  6. Provide at least one meal, either breakfast lunch or dinner each day and meet the School Food Standards throughout the day.
  7. Improve children’s knowledge and awareness of healthy eating - Offer advice and training to parents on how to source, prepare and cook nutritious and low-cost food. 
  8. Provide a programme of fun and enriching activities that provide children with opportunities to develop or consolidate skills or knowledge
  9. Offer signposting and referrals to other services and support that would benefit the children who attend and their families
  10. DfE Monitoring returns must be completed and submitted. 
  11. You must be able to provide copies of safeguarding policies and DBS checks if requested. 

We will not fund: 

  • Parties and presents
  • Projects that promote any political parties or religious purposes
  • Projects and activities that do not meet any of the above funding criteria.
  • Projects that are regarded as posing a safeguarding or unacceptable health and safety risk.
  • Projects that involve international travel 
  • Trips to theme parks
  • Virtual programme