Thanks to National Lottery players, Coram Voice’s A National Voice (ANV) has been awarded funding of £374,222 from The National Lottery Community Fund to launch a bold new project called Amplified by Care Experience.
This youth led national initiative will take powerful local ideas created by children in care councils, care leaver forums and other youth led groups and help them grow. The aim is to support these projects to roll out more widely so care experienced young people across England can benefit, no matter where they live.
Amplified by Care Experience is about identifying standout ideas such as welcome packs for children coming into care or youth led training programmes for professionals and giving them a national platform to grow and make an impact beyond their local area.
How it works
Local authorities and youth groups will be invited to submit their strongest youth led projects. These will be reviewed using clear and youth developed criteria by A National Voice Ambassadors. A shortlist of projects will then be shared at the national Amplify event in May 2026, where care experienced young people will vote to decide which ideas should be supported and scaled up.
The selected projects will receive tailored support from Coram Voice and A National Voice to help them adapt and grow in other local areas while keeping young people’s voices at the centre.
Support and collaboration
Projects chosen for amplification will receive practical help such as support with planning, evaluation and promotion. Local groups will also be encouraged to recruit their own local ambassadors who are care experienced young people who will help shape and deliver the project in their area.
Alongside the launch of Amplified by Care Experience, Coram Voice will recruit a new group of A National Voice Ambassadors aged 16 to 25 from across England. They will help lead and shape the project from start to finish. Recruitment will open in December 2025, with the new ambassadors beginning in early 2026.
Timeline
Full application guidance will be released in January 2026, including eligibility criteria and details of the support available. Shortlisted projects will be announced at the Amplify event in May 2026, with successful projects receiving support to grow from summer 2026 onwards.
Thanks to National Lottery players
This project has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players and The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.
For more information, please contact ANV@coramvoice.org.uk