Restless Development

Registered charity 1127488 · since 2009restlessdevelopment.org·International·Updated 31 October 2026

At a glance

£186k

Annual giving, year to 30 September 2025

From the Charity Commission register

Key takeaways

Restless Development's work fits best where young people lead change: for the Young Gamechangers Fund it prioritises groups and communities that prioritise youth activism and shared power, and its four impact priorities are Education and Livelihoods, Gender and Sexual Rights, Voice and Democracy, and Climate Justice.
The Young Gamechangers Fund lists grants from £1,000 to £20,000 and its youth group funding lists €1,000 to €10,000, so a modest, specific request falls within the stated ranges.
Its annual report, register entry and website publish no application process, so get in touch through the contact shown before writing a full proposal.
The Young Gamechangers Fund is open to young people aged 10 to 25, so a group whose members fall outside that range should not apply to it.
The charity describes a relationship-based approach with minimal bureaucracy, so an early conversation suits it.

Overview

Restless Development is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1127488).

Restless Development is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1127488). It began as a small UK charity and has grown into a global network across Africa, Asia and the UK, supporting young leaders across the world. Its work mostly falls into four impact priority areas: Education and Livelihoods, Gender and Sexual Rights, Voice and Democracy, and Climate Justice. It hosts a Youth Collective, a network of 5,000 youth-led organisations, and has shifted £6 million directly to young leaders. Its stated purposes include the relief of poverty and the advancement of education in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Restless Development supports young people to lead change and describes itself as a locally led, globally connected network. Its work mostly falls into four impact priorities: Education and Livelihoods, Gender and Sexual Rights, Voice and Democracy, and Climate Justice. It trains, mentors, nurtures and connects young leaders, and trains and resources youth organisations, movements and unregistered groups. Its approach is context-specific and aims to shift power and resources directly to young people, equipping them with leadership skills and connecting them with peers and decision-makers. It also runs youth-led funds; its funding approach includes unrestricted and project-based grants, minimal bureaucracy and relationship-based grant management, with young people involved in decisions about funding.

Themes

Education and Livelihoods
Gender and Sexual Rights
Voice and Democracy
Climate Justice

Geographic Focus

Priority: Worldwide.

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Who can apply:

Young Gamechangers Fund: Young people between the ages of 10-25 years of age

Application success factors

What the charity says:

For the Young Gamechangers Fund, it prioritises groups and communities that prioritise youth activism and shared power.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

International

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Restless Development.

Global Fund for Children UK TrustNo public processGave £5.5M Street Child UnitedNo public process Youth Sport Trust InternationalInvitation onlyGave £171k The Rumi FoundationInvitation onlyGave £684k Mothers’ UnionNo public processGave £291k Buffini Chao FoundationInvitation onlyGave £713k One to One Children's FundNo public processGave £13,209 Gumball 3000 FoundationInvitation only Care and Relief for the YoungRollingGave £349k Fight for PeaceNo public processGave £233k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 30 September 2021	£8,066,000	£7,830,000	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2021
year to 30 September 2022	£8,729,000	£8,983,000	—	Accounts for year to 30 September 2022
year to 30 September 2023	£7,894,000	£8,227,000	£642,000	Accounts for year to 30 September 2023
year to 30 September 2024	£8,056,000	£7,730,000	£502,000	Accounts for year to 30 September 2024
year to 30 September 2025	£8,364,000	£7,737,000	£186,000	Accounts for year to 30 September 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2023

£642k grants

YE 2024

£502k grants

YE 2025

£186k grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 3 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 30 September 2023; year to 30 September 2024; year to 30 September 2025: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.