At Audible, we believe in the transformative power of stories and imagination. As part of Audible’s global commitment to youth and education, the Future Stories Fund invests in innovative, storytelling-led projects that help under-represented young people aged 12–18 unlock their creativity, strengthen their confidence, and expand their sense of what’s possible. By connecting language, self-expression, and real-world opportunities, we aim to nurture the next generation of storytellers, innovators, and leaders.
What We Fund
We will be offering grants of up to £15,000 and practical help and guidance to help you deliver your project successfully to grassroots organisations and community groups whose work uses storytelling, language, and creative expression to broaden skill sets for young people—helping them share their lived experiences, challenge dominant narratives, and imagine new futures for themselves and their communities. There will be opportunities for up to two grantees to secure further funding to scale impactful projects, following the Future Stories Fund.
To be eligible, projects must:
Serve young people aged 12-18 (11-year-olds can also participate, if they are in secondary school)
Engage youth from under-represented communities (e.g. racial and/or ethnic minority, gender, disability, neurodivergence, LGBTQIA+, low‑income)
Embed storytelling at its core, within project design and delivery
Demonstrate an innovative approach to using storytelling to ignite imagination and build skills
For full details on the criteria your project must meet, please read the Eligibility section below.
Youth Outcomes We're Looking For
The Future Stories Fund is part of Audible’s Youth Education focus, designed to help young people develop the confidence, creativity, and transferable skills they need to thrive in education, employment, and wider society.
This Fund supports projects that help youth:
Grow imagination and creativity through storytelling and self-expression so they can share their voice and shape their own narratives
Build the confidence and self-belief to pursue any path of their choosing
Develop and strengthen key skills such as communication, literacy, collaboration, critical thinking, and audio literacy that they can carry into any aspect of their lives
Broaden horizons through exposure to new environments, opportunities, and networks
Encourage experimentation and curiosity, giving them the chance to try new ways of crafting and sharing stories
Who Can Apply
The Future Stories Fund invites applications from grassroots organisations and community groups working at a local level in Yorkshire & The Humber. You do not need to be a registered charity or have formal governance structures in place—we encourage applications from emerging, early‑stage, and lived‑experience‑led groups.
We are looking for applicants who can demonstrate:
A genuine presence in the region. You are based in, or meaningfully active within, Yorkshire & The Humber
Grassroots-level action. You are a small or early-stage organisation or group working closely with your community. To ensure we reach projects on the ground, we will only fund applicants with an annual operating budget of £250,000 or less. If you exceed this threshold and a significant proportion of your income is restricted or pass‑through funding that does not reflect your core operating capacity, you may still apply and will be given an opportunity to provide further details in your application.
Deep knowledge of the community you serve. You are rooted in the communities you work with, ideally with lived experience represented in your leadership, staff, volunteers, or project team
A realistic and responsible use of funding. Your budget request shows a clear and reasonable plan for delivering a project of up to 12 months in duration
Alongside the grant you will be offered an optional package of capacity-building support, which is practical help and guidance to help you deliver your project successfully, tailored to your needs. If your group does not yet have a bank account or formal financial structure in place, fiscal hosting is also available. We will work with you to determine a scope of work that meets your needs. For full details on the criteria your project must meet, please read the Eligibility section below.
Terms
Please read the Terms and Conditions on our linktree fully before applying for a grant under the Future Stories Fund. By submitting an application, you acknowledge on behalf of yourself and those engaged in the project that you have read and agree to be bound by these Terms and the decisions of Audible Limited and Think Beyond Services Ltd. All grants are subject to Future Stories Fund’s discretion.
How to Apply
Applications are welcome from Tuesday 7 April until Sunday 17 May at 11:59pm (the “Application Period”). Terms and conditions apply.
When you apply, you’ll need to provide:
Group details including your name, organisation name (if applicable), age, contact number, email address, and any assistance requirements
Details of the project and budget breakdown
Constitution or governing documents, and safeguarding and equity, diversity, and inclusion policies, if you have them
An organisational bank statement that shows experience of handling money, if you have one
Head to linktree to find further information, including the application questions, contact details, Terms and Conditions, FAQs, or to book a virtual drop-in session to discuss your ideas.
We welcome applications using the online application form, and also via email (fsf@thinkbeyond.consulting) or WhatsApp (+447943300828). Please feel free to use video or audio content to support your application if you want, which must be submitted via email or WhatsApp. If you need any support during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
This Fund is managed and administered on behalf of Audible by the social impact and sustainability consultancy Think Beyond, whose team brings expertise in designing and managing funds.
Think Beyond will undertake eligibility reviews of the applications and will work closely with Audible to shortlist successful applicants. Audible Limited will donate up to £50,000 in grants with individual grants up to £15,000. The total grant received by successful applicants shall be determined by Audible and Think Beyond and administered at Think Beyond’s full and sole discretion. Throughout the process, Think Beyond will be the main point of contact providing ongoing support to successful applicants.
Eligibility
This round of funding is currently only open to applications from nonprofit organisations and community groups who are delivering projects based in the Yorkshire & Humber region, which includes Hull & East Yorkshire; South Yorkshire; West Yorkshire; York & North Yorkshire.
To be eligible, your project must meet all of the criteria below:
Your project supports local youth (aged 12-18) to develop the confidence, creativity, and transferable skills they need to thrive in education, employment, and wider society
11-year-olds may also participate, provided they are in secondary school.
Your project may focus on a narrower age range within this bracket, e.g. 12-15.
Your project uses storytelling or language as the core mechanism
Projects may involve reading, writing, podcasts, poetry, theatre, acting, playwriting, and anything else relating to language and expression. Projects that solely involve music, art and/or dance are not eligible, but if they form part of a variety of approaches with storytelling also included, then they will be considered.
Your project is innovative
Your project takes an innovative approach to using storytelling to ignite imagination and build skills amongst participants. The innovation can be within the project design, a new way to reach and engage with a target group, a new methodology, a novel collaboration, or mixed-methods approach, exploring a unique social challenge, and/or using new tools to tell stories and spark participants’ imagination and creativity.
You cannot use the grant to continue or expand an existing project in the same location, with the same target beneficiaries, using the same approach.
Your project serves under-represented young people
Your project must engage youth from historically under-represented communities (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, gender, neurodiverse youth, low-income backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ youth, disabled youth, care experienced youth, etc.).
Your project can start within 6 months and finish within 12 months
Funding must be used to deliver a time‑bound project beginning within 6 months of receiving the grant and completed within 12 months of receiving the grant. We aim to distribute funding by August 2026, so your project must start by February 2027, and be completed by July 2027.
You operate at a grassroots-level scale
Your annual operating budget must be £250,000 or less.
If you exceed this threshold and a significant proportion of your income is restricted or pass‑through funding that does not reflect your core operating capacity, you may still apply and will be given an opportunity to provide further details in your application.
You have no political or religious affiliation
We cannot fund projects or groups whose primary purpose is political or religious, or where grant activity could be used to advance political or religious beliefs.
If you’re unsure whether your project is eligible, please send us a short brief of the type of project either via email (fsf@thinkbeyond.consulting) or WhatsApp (+447943300828). You can also book a drop-in session throughout the application period here, to talk through your ideas and ask any questions.
About Audible
Audible, an Amazon company, is a leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible.co.uk content includes more than 900,000 audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals. Audible serves millions of members in over 180 countries with content in more than 50 languages; members download nearly 4 billion hours of content annually and listen across a wide range of supported devices.
About Think Beyond
Think Beyond is a social impact and sustainability consultancy, working in and through sport and entertainment. They leverage powerful platforms for positive change. Think Beyond are pioneers of sustainable societal change, empowering those with ambition to find innovative solutions to complex problems. Think Beyond support brands, teams, leagues, and talent to have a real impact on the world and their business. To create this change, and drive sustained commercial growth, it’s essential to have leaders driven by a higher purpose, organisations that make sustainability a core value, community programmes that deliver real impact, and communications that inspire action. That’s why Think Beyond create all four—Purposeful Leaders, Sustainable Organisations, Impactful Programmes, and Inspiring Communications.
Future Stories Fund x West Midlands
Last year, Audible launched the second round of the Future Stories Fund in the West Midlands of England. Three incredible organisations were selected to receive funding, helping to give a voice to the youth in their communities. Read on for more details on how they used their funding:
Calathea Arts, Solihull: Calathea Arts empowered neurodiverse young people to explore and respond to local street art through storytelling. Across eight creative workshops, participants engaged with poetry, spoken word, and performance, developing skills in writing, sound design, and public speaking. A collection of interviews with various street artists and collaboration with sound designers enabled participants to create original audio pieces that were presented at a public exhibition attended by the local Mayor. Through these activities, the young people involved were able to build confidence and embrace creativity and self-expression through immersive, multi-sensory storytelling experiences.
Inspire Hub Central, Birmingham: Inspire Hub Central created "Beyond the Margins," an innovative storytelling programme for marginalised youth in Sparkbrook, Birmingham. Aimed at young people from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali, and other under-represented communities in the area, the programme blended poetry, playwriting, podcasting, and theatre to explore identity and culture. Through monthly workshops, mentoring, live showcases, and collaborations with local platforms, the project helped participants build confidence, language skills, and career aspirations, offering creative tools and real-world opportunities to amplify youth voices and shape future pathways.
Powerhouse Creative, Herefordshire: Powerhouse Creative ran a 6-month story and audio production programme with young people from the most deprived communities in and around Herefordshire. The programme involved script-writing sessions and production of short-form audio dramas and podcasts about the participants' personal stories. By building passion around storytelling and gaining valuable transferable skills in reading, writing, performance, and digital production, the programme aimed to build young people’s confidence to share their voice, build their imagination, and help them build skills to explore creative careers.
Find Out More
You can access FAQs on linktree, but if there’s something not covered, feel free to send a WhatsApp on +447943300828 or email at fsf@thinkbeyond.consulting
