Julia and Hans Rausing to support Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expansion in the local community

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is to launch a programme designed to help it reach more young people from marginalised communities, with the support of a £3 million donation from Julia and Hans Rausing.

The funds will be used to help voluntary and community groups that do not currently offer the DofE to launch their own DofE programmes, so that more young people than ever have the opportunity to benefit from the DofE. The programme, which runs over the next three years, will help the DofE reach its strategic goal of reaching one million young people with the Award by 2026. The programme will reach people in all regions of the UK through partnering with voluntary and community sector organisations (VCS), such as youth clubs, faith groups, and sports clubs.

The programme recognises the impact which the pandemic has had on opportunities for young people, particularly amongst those from the most marginalised backgrounds. This has become an area of critical importance to Julia and Hans Rausing, who throughout the pandemic have funded youth organisations, through the £8 million Youth Centre Survival Fund in 2021 and their £10 million grant to the ‘UK Youth: Thriving Minds’ fund this year.

For more information about the programme and who is eligible to apply for funding, visit the DofE website here.

4 July 2022