Tees Valley groups awarded Lead the Change funding

October 20th 2026

Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation & The Key awarded £123,353 each through Lead the Change

Point North is delighted to announce we have awarded both Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation & The Key £123,353 over three years, through Lead the Change, a funding programme supporting young people to build stronger, more connected communities.

A total of £2.6 million has been awarded to 21 organisations across the UK to support local projects that will empower young people to build stronger connections within their communities, address division and drive positive social change.

The 21 youth-led projects were selected by a panel of 10 young grant-makers, aged 19-25, from across the UK, bringing a diverse range of backgrounds, perspectives and lived experiences to the decision-making process.

The newly funded organisations will work alongside young people to create safe and inclusive spaces, support youth-led social action, build leadership skills, and encourage meaningful participation in community life. Through workshops, mentoring, community projects, and opportunities to influence decision-making, young people will be empowered to challenge harmful narratives, strengthen positive relationships, and drive change in their local communities.

In Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation will expand the reach and influence of its newly established youth panel, helping members develop their leadership and communication skills and influence youth provision across the Tees Valley. The panel will organise three social action events each year for young people from communities affected by the 2024 race riots, promoting inclusion, community cohesion and online safety. It will also establish a youth club in Newport ward, an area experiencing some of the highest levels of child poverty in the country and directly affected by the 2024 riots. This will provide a safe, welcoming space for local young people and support the development of a dedicated Newport youth board, giving them a stronger voice in decisions affecting their lives and community.

Youth Action Unlocked, delivered by The Key, will support almost 300 young people aged 11–25 across Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Darlington through a three-year, youth-led programme. Building on the success of previous Youth Action Unlocked and Unity in the Community programmes, the project will bring young people together through a series of youth-led hack events to identify and explore local challenges, including safety, division and inequality. Young people will then be supported to turn their ideas into funded social action projects that deliver tangible change in their communities. Focusing on areas experiencing inequality, the programme aims to strengthen community connections, improve young people’s sense of safety and belonging, and expand access to leadership, skills development and opportunities to influence local change.