Involve · Youth-led funding

The Westminster Foundation Youth Panel Framework: Learnings, reflections and practical guidance for youth-led grant-making

The Westminster Foundation, with Leaders Unlocked and Cheshire Community Foundation · 2026 · Toolkit / guide

Learning report and toolkit from the Westminster Foundation's first Youth Panel pilot, in which sixteen young people aged 14 to 21 in Chester and Ellesmere Port co-designed a grant programme, assessed applications and awarded £30,000 to local organisations over ten months. Sets out five principles (belonging, care, power-sharing, equity of voice and accessibility), the process session by session from recruitment to celebration, safeguarding and financial transparency, what worked and what did not, and a stage-by-stage toolkit with reflection questions and markers of good practice. For funders and organisations setting up youth panels or participatory grant-making.

Section

Youth-led funding

Format

PDF

Access

Open access

Link

d3g4sil88vg67i.cloudfront.net