This award is funded by the Barbara Ward Children's Foundation, which is a small grant-making body that helps smaller, non-religious charities. Since its registration with the Charity Commission in December 2001 it has awarded grants of more than £8 million to more than 325 organisations.

The aim of the Foundation is to help small, non-religious charities to serve severely disadvantaged children anywhere in the world. In recent years, the Foundation has provided grants to organisations working on youth projects in the following categories:

Education.

Health and wellbeing.

Holidays.

Sport, play and leisure.

Support, care and respite.