But I have to remind myself to hold a mirror up to Big Change. 

• Are we perpetuating practices that limit our ability to reach promising leaders? 
• Is our support adding pressure rather than easing it? 
• Are we sometimes part of the problems that we’re looking to solve? 

When pitching to funders to support Big Change’s work, it’s tempting to only highlight what we do really well and gloss over areas where we can improve. However, as we’re seeking new partners to fund the Spark Awards launching in 2027, I’d like to be more candid about previous blind spots, how they’ve informed our principles for the next iteration of the programme, and how we can embody these principles together. 

The Spark Awards is Big Change’s open-call funding programme that identifies, funds, and supports leaders aged 18-28 with ideas that have the potential to create systemic change for young people across England. Through catalytic early-stage funding and an intergenerationally designed, cohort-based learning programme, we support emerging leaders at the earliest stages of developing their ideas – when access to funding, networks and support is typically very difficult. 

Despite growing recognition of the critical role young people play in driving positive change, the amount of philanthropic funding directed to them is shockingly low. In the climate sector alone, less than 1% supported youth-led climate justice efforts (Youth Climate Funding Study, 2026). Where funding does exist for young leaders, it is typically small scale and short-term, limiting their ability to translate ambitious ideas into meaningful impact. 

We have observed that young leaders often prioritise project delivery costs over their own salaries and livelihood, limiting their ability to fully commit to their idea. The Spark Awards will provide grants between £35k-£50k over two years, recognising that new ideas need meaningful resources to be refined and tested, and crucially, that leaders need to be properly paid for the time they’re devoting to their ideas, rather than balancing their project alongside full-time work to keep themselves afloat.

While the purpose of the Spark Awards is to place funds directly into the hands of young people, our ambition is bigger than the programme itself. We’re aiming to shift mindsets, norms and power dynamics in the funding sector. 

Most grants tend to flow to large organisations and visible leaders – 86% of all charitable income in England and Wales goes to the largest 4% of registered charities (Centre for Social Justice Foundation Report, 2024). On top of this, the decision making behind choosing who to fund is also riddled with power dynamics, frequently excluding young people and others with lived and learned experience. 

The Spark Awards will bring together a diverse panel of young people, sector experts, and previous recipients of our funding to assess applications and select winners, broadening participation, and challenging assumptions about who holds power in grant funding. 

The 2027 Spark Awards has been co-designed with paid young consultants from the outset, drawing on their insights to reflect on what worked well previously and where things could be improved. We identified that aspects of our funding criteria and the language used in our application materials created unnecessary barriers to entry, with a 49% drop-off rate in applications for the 2025 round. Together, we have redesigned the Spark Awards' eligibility criteria, application process, awards package, and programme timeline to make the opportunity more accessible, engaging and relevant for young people.  

Learnings from our previous programmes have taught us that the cliff edge at the end of a grant period can be incredibly daunting - especially for young leaders. We aim to alleviate this pressure by providing an ongoing programme of support that gives leaders spaces to collaborate, share openly with peers about successes and challenges, and importantly rest and recharge.  The leaders we fund through the Spark Awards become part of the Big Change community for life, regardless of whether they choose to continue pursuing the project that Big Change has funded. 

The challenges young people face today will not be solved by doing more of the same. They require new approaches, new ideas, and new leadership. 

The Spark Awards is our attempt to put those beliefs into practice — backing young leaders earlier, trusting them with meaningful resources, sharing decision-making power, and committing to support that lasts beyond a grant cycle. We know we won’t get everything right. But we believe the sector moves forward when organisations are willing to question old assumptions and build new models together. 

If that resonates with you, join us in bringing the 2027 Spark Awards to life and investing in a generation of leaders with the imagination and courage to create lasting change.

Explore how we can work together for Spark Awards 2027.