More Than A Roof Grant Programme

Thank you for taking the time to read this guidance for the More Than a Roof: Move On Grant Programme. We hope you will find this information useful and that your questions are answered. 

If you do still have questions, please get in touch with us on grants@centrepoint.org and we will be more than happy to assist.

This is the first round of the More Than a Roof: Move On Grants Programme, developed in consultation with our partnering charities.

Through these conversations, a clear need emerged: young people preparing to move into their own accommodation often face significant financial barriers that prevent a smooth transition. Many lack the basic resources or funds to purchase essential items needed to set up a home of their own.

At the heart of the More Than a Roof philosophy is the belief that safe, secure housing is only the beginning. Young people must also feel equipped, empowered, and supported as they take this important step toward independence. 

Centrepoint Partnering Scheme members who support young people in moving on to independent accommodation can now apply for £400 per young person. This funding is intended to help young people purchase items they need to settle into their new homes.

Partner organisations will work closely with young people to select and purchase these items, ensuring that support is tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

The More Than a Roof: Move On Grants Programme aims to support young people who are ready to move on from homelessness into their own independent accommodation. 

The programme recognises that this transition can be challenging without access to essential items or financial resources. 

By providing targeted grants, we aim to remove these practical barriers and help young people feel more confident and prepared as they take this next step. The funding is designed to be flexible, enabling young people to choose the items that matter most to them. 

Ultimately, the programme seeks to promote independence, stability, and a stronger sense of home.

Please ensure your proposal meets the following outcomes:

• Young people feel positive about moving on to their own accommodation
• Young people feel that they have a foundation to build on in their new accommodation, in terms of having some items to get them started.
• There is an increase in the partnering member organisations resources to help young people moving on
• Young People feel more positive about the future
• Young people feel that they have a foundation to build on in their new accommodation, in terms of having some items to get them started
• Your organisation is better able to support the young people it looks after
   

All applicants need to be a member of the Centrepoint Partnering Scheme, registered with Charities Trust, and meet one of the following criteria:

• Constituted group - e.g. the organisation has a constitution document that governs it but may not have charitable or company status  
• Not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company
• A registered charity

In addition:

• Applicants must also have a bank account in the name of their organisation and at least 2 years of annual accounts that have been audited or signed by the financial officer or treasurer.
   

We cannot accept applications from the following:

• organisations that do not directly assist homeless young people (16–25-year-olds) to move on to their own accommodation
• individuals
• sole traders
• local government institutions
• an organisation applying on behalf of another organisation

If you have any questions around your organisation or group’s eligibility based on the above, please get in contact with us at grants@centrepoint.org. 
 

We can fund

This grant is for the provision of items for a young person aged between 16 and 25 years old who is receiving support from a Centrepoint Partnering Scheme member organisation to move on to their own accommodation.

Items purchased with the funding must meet the following criteria:

• Items are chosen by the young person and personalise their new accommodation (in a way that reflects their own identity and preferences)
• Must be items for use or decoration in the household, or outside areas attached to the household that the young person has access to

These criteria will guide your approval of requested items from the young people but any items that you are unsure about can be checked with Centrepoint at grants@centrepoint.org.

Partnering Scheme members can apply for funding for young people who have received a More Than a Roof: Personalisation Grant.

We cannot fund

• Sharp or dangerous items
• Clothing
• Subscriptions or ongoing payments
• Utilities such as electricity, water, gas, internet
• Any changes to the accommodation that are not permitted under a tenancy agreement
• Salaries of staff or organisational running costs
• VAT your organisation can reclaim
• Cash that will be given directly to individuals
• Procurement of infrastructure, premises or rent
• Payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector grants

The period for which you must spend the grant funding is from the signature of grant agreement between your organisation and Centrepoint until 12 January 2026.

It’s important that you only apply for the number of young people you are confident your organisation can assist to expend their funding over this time period. Time extensions may not be possible.

• Applications should be submitted via the online form by 5pm, 14 October 2025
• Organisations will be expected to spend their funding by 12 January 2026
• Organisations will need to submit an end of grant report by 13 February 2026

All applicants will undergo due diligence checks by Centrepoint to assess if they have the basic financial and organisational policies and processes in place. These include areas such as; safeguarding, information security and fraud prevention and adequate financial management processes.

We have a simple application form that applicants will be asked to complete. This includes organisational details and asking applicants to identify the number of young people they will support. 

When making funding decisions, Centrepoint wants to ensure that the following criteria is met:

• Enable as many organisations within the Partnership (who directly support young people moving on) to benefit from funding
• Ensure a balance between small and larger organisations receiving funding
• Ensure that the distribution of funding is balanced geographically
• There is agreement from the organisation to report against the fund’s outcomes at the end of the grant period

These criteria could mean some applicants do not receive funding or only a proportion of the funding they applied for in this round but could apply for subsequent rounds.

Successful applicants will be expected to provide an interim report part way through the grant period, and a project and financial report at the end of the project.

The end of grant report will ask organisations to provide a summary of how they felt the funding contributed to the outcomes of the More Than a Roof: Move On Grant Programme and report on the expenditure of the grant funding. 

Organisations will also be asked to:

• Gather baseline feedback from the young people when they first receive the grant
• Gather feedback from the young people when they have expended the funding regarding whether they felt the grant met the stated aim and outcomes of the programme
• Submit anonymised demographics data on the young people benefiting from the funding
• Submit copies of all receipts relating to grant expenditure
• Submit supporting evidence for the expenditure of the grant such as pictures of item purchased, before and after photos of rooms, expenditure tracking documents, quotes from young people

At the end of the report, organisations will be able to share lessons learned or insights which will help Centrepoint to shape future funding rounds.

We are not registered with Charities Trust. Where do we go to register?

It is a requirement of the funder that organisations that receive funding under the More Than a Roof Programme are registered with Charities Trust. If you are not currently registered with Charities Trust, you can register via this online form for free. Once Charities Trust has reviewed your submission, they will email you to confirm if your organisation has been added.  

We received funding in a previous round of Grants under the More Than a Roof Programme. Are we able to apply again?

Yes, organisations that received funding in a previous round of Grants under the More Than a Roof Programme can apply for funding.

Some of our young people received funding through the More Than a Roof Personalisation Grants. Would they be eligible to receive a More Than a Roof: Move On Grant?

Yes. Young people can receive both a More Than a Roof: Personalisation Grant and a More Than a Roof: Move On Grant. They can not receive two of the same grant.

We are a large organisation and if we apply for all the funding we need, will our application be rejected because of cost?

All applicants should ask for what funding they need. Centrepoint may come back to an organisation to ask them to reduce the total amount they requested but they will not be rejected just because they requested the full amount.

We are not VAT registered; can we use the grant funds to cover the VAT component of the items purchased under the More Than a Roof: Move On Grant Programme?

If your organisation is not VAT registered, VAT costs incurred in the purchase of eligible items will also be considered eligible expenditure. If you are VAT registered and will reclaim the VAT from HMRC, you may only claim the net amount (excluding VAT) as eligible expenditure.

We don’t directly provide accommodation for young people but do provide support for young people moving on to their own accommodation e.g. floating support service. Are we eligible to apply?

Yes, organisations that meet the eligibility criteria and assist young people to move into their own accommodation can apply for funding. Organisations do not need to be helping a young person move on from their accommodation they own.

What types of items will be eligible for the young people to purchase?

Items such as white goods, general decoration, soft furnishings, furniture, kitchenware and appliances.