In Hammersmith & Fulham, brilliant grassroots charities and youth workers are doing vital, life-changing work. But they’re often underfunded, overstretched, and overlooked. That’s where we come in.

Young H&F exists to support the organisations that deliver front-line services to young people. We are part of a national network of Young People’s Foundations - infrastructure charities - that strengthen the entire youth sector from the ground up. Young H&F builds capacity, connects services, and champions the sector behind the scenes.

We don’t deliver frontline services, we make sure those who do are resourced, skilled and heard. But much of this work is invisible by design, so here’s why it matters.

Since 2010, local authority youth service funding has fallen by 73% in England, leading to the closure of more than half of the UK’s youth centres or clubs. Volunteer support has been stripped away, and smaller charities, often the ones most embedded in communities, have lost vital infrastructure. Many youth organisations are doing more with less, in isolation, without access to the skills, networks, or funding they need.

Infrastructure charities like Young H&F help hold this fragmented sector together. We act as a trusted bridge between grassroots charities and the institutions around them, from local council and funders to schools, businesses and community hubs. We help unlock resources, raise the quality of practice, and coordinate shared approaches to local challenges.

And we know it works. Since 2016, the Young People’s Foundation network has raised over £19 million and supported over 1,300 organisations across the UK. In Hammersmith & Fulham, our members access support that wouldn’t otherwise be available to them, from expert training and small grants to use of local spaces and introductions to key partners who can help take their work further.