Co-op Green Opportunities Fund Application 

| Resume a previously saved form
Resume Later

In order to be able to resume this form later, please enter your email and choose a password.

Password must contain the following:
  • 12 Characters
  • 1 Uppercase letter
  • 1 Lowercase letter
  • 1 Number
  • 1 Special character

Page 1

Co-op Foundation logo

To be considered for funding, all applications must be submitted through our online form, which will open on 18th March 2026 at Midday and close on 17th April 2026 at Midday.

Please contact the team at foundation@coop.co.uk if you need support with accessibility or need this form in a different format
Overview
We’re offering grants of between £50,000-£100,000 to support initiatives across the UK to influence young people aged 14-20 years old to develop green skills and enter into green jobs. The aim of the fund is to influence the behaviour and perceptions of young people from underrepresented backgrounds around green skills and careers. We want to inspire them to understand that green jobs are interesting, viable and secure pathways for the future. 

Please ensure you have read the guidance notes and watched our information webinar before writing your application. 
 
NB: you can save and resume your form at any time using the box on the top-right. Please note that the form will not automatically save.

If you have any questions about the fund, please email: foundation@coop.co.uk
Data declaration and authorisation

We will not pass your details on to third parties other than for the purposes described below. 
Application primary contact





All communications related to your application will be sent to this email address. Please double check that you have spelled it correctly with no typos.
Application secondary contact
We will use your secondary contact to contact you about your application should your primary contact be unavailable. Your secondary contact should be someone who has knowledge of your application and can answer questions about your work. 





Organisation address and status

Please note that individuals are not eligible to apply to this Fund














Section 1 - About your organisation

Section 2 - Eligibility Checks
Please note: You must be able to answer yes to all of the eligibility questions below to progress with an application

We can only fund projects which are deemed charitable, i.e., projects must not solely generate private financial gain. We cannot fund work protected by intellectual property rights. It is important that work and learnings can be shared openly in a non-competitive way.

By 'unconnected' we mean people who are not related or married. By 'board or management committee' we mean your directors or trustees as listed with your organisation's governing body, e.g. Companies House, the Charity Commission or FCA etc. 
If you answered no to this question, but still feel that your application should be considered, please contact the team at foundation@coop.co.uk before continuing 


We can only fund organisations with a registered address in the UK


We encourage applicants to watch the webinar before applying. The recording of the webinar can be found on our website

Page 2

Section 3 - About your Green Opportunities Project


Please tell us the UK nation where your project will take place, as well as the town/city/region. If your project will be UK wide and/or digital, please tell us.





While many projects will work with young people directly, we are also keen to hear from projects that seek to engage key influencer groups as part of their approach to supporting young people.

Page 3

Section 4 - Green Opportunities Essential Criteria
It is essential that applicants answer questions 14-17 and we recommend referring to our guidance notes before writing your answers.

We would like to know what you plan to do and how you plan to achieve this.

Please provide evidence or a rationale for why your approach will be effective. Please include information about whether your organisation has successfully engaged underrepresented young people in the past and how you will apply what you learned to this project.

Please demonstrate how you will connect young people to clear pathways after engaging with the project. This could include further training, work experience, mentoring or other forms of support. You may have built partnerships to create strong pathways.

Please share three project outcomes, indicators of success and methods you will use to track progress. Please indicate how you plan to disseminate learning.
Section 4 - Green Opportunities Essential Criteria - Parents/Carers/Youth Professionals
It is essential that applicants answer questions 14-17 and we recommend referring to our guidance notes before writing your answers.

We would like to know what you plan to do and how you plan to achieve this and which low-carbon jobs this might ultimately influence young people towards. We use the green job definition informed by Nesta and O*Net

Where possible, please provide evidence or rationale for why your approach will be effective. Include whether your organisation has successfully engaged your target audience in previous work and how you will apply your learning to this project.

Please demonstrate how your project will connect young people to clear progression pathways after engaging with the project through their parents, carers or youthwork professionals. You may have built partnerships with other organisations to create strong pathways.

Please share with us at least three project outcomes, indicators of success and methods you will use to track progress. Please also indicate how you will disseminate your learning.

Page 4

Section 5 - Green Opportunities Desirable Criteria
Applicants that can demonstrate the following are more likely to be shortlisted, although meeting each of these criteria is not essential. Answers to questions 17-18 will be scored. 

We welcome applications that actively centre young people in the design and delivery of their work. This could range from designing work with young people to being a completely youth-led organisation. Please include the costs of working in this way in your budget, including payments for young people.

Your vision might be to scale and increase the reach of your project or to ensure the project is set up using best practice so that others can easily replicate your work. Please tell us which is your priority and what your short/long term plans are to achieve your vision.

Page 5

Section 6 - Budget and finance

Please enter without symbols, commas or decimal places, e.g 75000. There is no income or turnover limit for this fund. We aim to fund a blend of organisation sizes, however, please consider the proportionality of your grant request in line with your organisation's income over the duration of your proposed project.

Please present the budget as a simple list. We need to know the main items or activities in your project and how much they will cost. If you progress to the next stage, we’ll ask for a more detailed budget.


Page 6

Section 7 - Working with the Co-op and Co-op Foundation
Please note your answer to this question will not have an impact on whether your application is funded


Section 8 - Consent to Share Information

Section 9 - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Data Standard Questionnaire

We include our DEI Data Standard questionnaire as part of our commitment to inclusive funding practices. As members of the UK Funders' DEI Data Standard working group we use this data to:

  • Understand the DEI of applicants and their communities
  • Enhance our funding strategies
  • Strengthen our approach to equity and inclusion

The information you share through this form will NOT be used to assess your application.
Time Required: 15 minutes 

Access the questionnaire: DEI Data Standard Questionnaire

If you have any questions please contact:
samuel.kwatiah@coop.co.uk or asimina.vergou@coop.co.uk
Section 10 - Feedback
 We’d value your feedback on our funding guidelines and application form. Your responses to this section won’t be used to assess your application but will help us improve our grant application processes.







Thank you for completing this application form. 
Save my progress and resume later | Resume a previously saved form