Money Ready is delighted to announce the launch of the Brummie Bursary. Available via referral partners, the flexible grants provide up to £300 for young people aged 16–25 in Birmingham.
In collaboration with our partners at Hymans Robertson Foundation, the West Midlands Combined Authority and Heart of England Community Foundation, our goal is simple: to remove everyday financial barriers – whether it’s food, travel, course materials, clothing, digital access, or home essentials – so young people can thrive, not just survive.
The Brummie Bursary was launched on Thursday 2nd October at The King’s Trust’s Birmingham offices. Attendees included the referral partnership network of charities and community groups, currently comprising St Basil’s, Birmingham Children’s Trust, Sport 4 Life and Barnardo’s.
Helen Forster, Money Ready’s 16+ Programme and Delivery Director, welcomed attendees and spoke about the huge impact the Brummie Bursary is expected to make on the lives of individual recipients and well as the future economy of the city. Also speaking, John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, showed his support for the venture.
Highlights included a conversation between Sally McLachlan, Midlands Manager, and Sophia, a young person who has been referred to the Brummie Bursary by St Basils and plans to apply as soon as applications open on the week commencing 6th October. Sophia hopes to gain a travel card to make getting too and from college affordable. Sophia is also excited about attending a full Money Ready session, having had a taster session and finding that helpful.
“Money Ready will offer every applicant, irrelevant of outcome, the chance to attend a Ready workshop, free of charge, to help them take control of, and manage their finances,” says Sally. “I want to thank everyone who took time out of their day to attend, our partners in this venture, and, not least, The King’s Trust who let us use their Birmingham Centre for this launch. By joining forces, we can alleviate financial pressures and boost opportunities for young people across Birmingham.”
If you’re part of an organisation that wants to help with this scheme, we would be grateful if you would promote the bursary across your networks. We may expand the number of Referral Partners in the future and will be reviewing this at six-monthly intervals. If your organisation would like to be considered as a potential Referral Partner or donate funds to the Bursary, please send an email to bursary@moneyready.org
Find out more about the work Money Ready delivers in collaboration with partners across the UK.