Zing
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.
Key takeaways
- ZING is a small, relationship-led funder: it proactively seeks out a small number of early-stage youth organisations each year and has no grant application process.
- Its work fits organisations based in the UK that are early-stage, focus on young people realising their potential, and take a collaborative, systemic approach to helping young people move between education and work.
- Typical grants reported in the annual report fall between £20,000 and £35,000, with a median of £30,000, so a request in that region is the realistic size to consider.
- It does not accept unsolicited requests, so rather than sending a cold application, consider a first contact that introduces your work and shows how it matches its focus, since it says it welcomes hearing from early-stage charities.
- Organisations that are not early-stage, or whose work is not focused on young people's transition between education and work, are unlikely to fit.
Overview
ZING is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1133342).
ZING is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales that exists to provide investment, connections and access to technology expertise to early-stage youth impact organisations with a proven business model and a strong connection with it. It began as a Foundation set up as a way to 'buy' five years worth of learning. It actively seeks out a small number of diverse organisations each year and provides unrestricted grants, and its annual report records £305,000 paid. Its support takes three forms: funding, connections through the ZING Forum and wider network, and digital technology advice and selected services.
What they fund
Priority Areas
ZING supports early-stage organisations whose outcomes focus on young people realising their potential. It actively seeks a small number of diverse organisations and provides unrestricted grants, connections through its forum and wider network, and digital technology advice and selected services. It seeks early-stage organisations with a sustainable and collaborative approach to working with young people as they move between education and work. ZING describes its focus as youth-impact organisations with a proven business model and a strong connection with the foundation. It values innovative income generation, controlled overheads and rigorous outcome measurement. Its annual report describes it as an early-stage seed funder of youth non-profits with a typically collaborative and systemic approach.
Themes
- Youth development
Geographic Focus
The UK.
How to apply
ZING proactively seeks out organisations to fund and has no grant application process. It welcomes hearing from early-stage charities and social entrepreneurs based in the UK.
Who can apply:
- Youth non-profits who typically have a collaborative and systemic approach.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- ZING seeks organisations with a sustainable and collaborative approach to working with young people in their transition between education and the workplace.
- ZING values innovative income generation, overheads kept in check and rigorous outcome measurement.
- ZING looks for a proven business model and a strong connection with the organisation.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- United Kingdom
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Zing.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 10 grants in year to 31 December 2021 by size
Median £30,000 (year to 31 December 2021)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Fair Education Alliance£35,000year to 31 December 2021
- Get Further Limited£35,000year to 31 December 2021
- Learning with Parents£35,000year to 31 December 2021
- Lighthouse Childrens Home£35,000year to 31 December 2021
- Big Brothers Big Sister£30,000year to 31 December 2021
- Root 73£30,000year to 31 December 2021
- Unloc Online£30,000year to 31 December 2021
- Young Trustees Movement£30,000year to 31 December 2021
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £42,388 | £410,529 | £305,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £51,885 | £375,403 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £4,999 | £236,259 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £0 | £107,840 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £0 | £258,030 | — | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021: grants paid out in the year.
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
- zing.org.uk · read on 25 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2021)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 25 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Zing?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- zing.org.uk
- Charity Commission register entryContact details as held by the Charity Commission
Applying to Zing?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- zing.org.uk
- Charity Commission register entryContact details as held by the Charity Commission