YHA (England & Wales)
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your work is school or college residentials, or group breaks for young people or families in England or Wales, this funder's bursary and Breaks support is worth considering.
- The Breaks Programme does not fund individuals or individual families, transport to the hostel, or the salary or expenses of accompanying staff or volunteers, so a request that includes these costs will not fit.
- The annual report gives no readable grants total, and no grant range is stated, so a modest, specific request for the trip's core costs is a sensible starting point, and any support may be only part-funded depending on group circumstances and available funding.
- Schools should check whether they are in an area of high social deprivation and whether at least 30% of pupils on the trip receive pupil premium or free school meals, as these shape bursary eligibility.
- Groups should expect the hostel visit and evaluation steps the funder describes, and should contact it before the trip to find out how to apply, since it accepts applications or referrals tailored to the beneficiary group.
Overview
YHA (England & Wales) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 306122).
YHA (England & Wales) is a registered charity whose stated purpose is to help all people, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside and an appreciation of the cultural values of towns and cities. It does this mainly by providing youth hostels or other accommodation for them on their travels, to promote their health, recreation and education. Its programmes include bursary and funding support for school and college residentials and the YHA Breaks Programme, which serves groups of young people and groups of families who need additional support.
What they fund
Priority Areas
YHA provides targeted bursary and funding support to children, young people and families living with challenges, aiming to tackle barriers to participation in travel and adventure. It supports school and college residentials through bursaries and runs the YHA Breaks Programme for groups of young people and families who need additional support. Primary, secondary and special schools, schools offering alternative provision and colleges can seek bursaries; eligibility is linked to being in an area of high social deprivation and to upwards of 30% of pupils attending the trip receiving pupil premium or free school meals. Charities, community groups and home education network groups based in England and Wales can apply for group breaks for young people aged 26 and under or groups of families. Breaks are tailored to beneficiaries, and support may be part-funded depending on group circumstances and funding availability.
Themes
- School residentials
- Youth and family breaks
Geographic Focus
England; Wales.
What they don't fund
- YHA Breaks Programme only:
- individuals or individual families
- transport between participants' homes and the hostel
- the salary or expenses of accompanying staff or volunteers from your charity or community group
How to apply
For the YHA Breaks Programme, partner organisations arrange support through an application or referral, tailored to the beneficiary group.
Who can apply:
- YHA Breaks Programme: Charities, community groups and home education network groups based in England and Wales can apply for support to fund a break to a YHA hostel.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- School bursary eligibility considers social deprivation and the proportion of pupils receiving pupil premium or free school meals.
- Group leaders are offered site visits before the break to check that the hostel layout suits participants' needs.
- Groups should collect participant evaluation questionnaires where appropriate or give group-leader feedback on the trip's impact.
Where they fund
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to YHA (England & Wales).
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 28 February 2021 | £26,263,000 | £40,625,000 | — | Accounts for year to 28 February 2021 |
| year to 28 February 2022 | £35,561,000 | £44,897,000 | — | Accounts for year to 28 February 2022 |
| year to 28 February 2023 | £56,908,000 | £59,480,000 | — | Accounts for year to 28 February 2023 |
| year to 29 February 2024 | £61,186,310 | £64,223,730 | — | Accounts for year to 29 February 2024 |
| year to 28 February 2025 | £66,109,000 | £65,612,000 | — | Accounts for year to 28 February 2025 |
— 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.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- yha.org.uk
- yha.org.uk/support-programmes · read on 30 October 2026
- yha.org.uk/support-programmes/support-for-schools · read on 30 October 2026
- yha.org.uk/support-programmes/yha-breaks-programme · read on 30 October 2026
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to YHA (England & Wales)?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Applying to YHA (England & Wales)?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required