Sports, arts and heritage-based youth projects across the UK are set to receive a share of a £7m investment from the central government.

The Youth Accelerator Fund has been set up to address urgent needs in the youth sector and expand existing successful projects run by Sport England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and British Film Institute.

Sport England will receive £1.32m to expand its grassroots programmes and offer extra-curricular sport to young people in deprived areas.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund will benefit from a £1.27m cash injection, which it will invest in its ‘Kick the Dust’ project, which is designed to offer young people heritage-based activities in their communities.

Meanwhile, Arts Council England will receive £500,000 in order to expand its Youth Music programme, supporting music-making for young people in challenging circumstances.

"This investment will pave the way for our ambitious, long-term plans to support young people that we will deliver over the next five years – and will allow even more young people across the country to participate in fantastic activities through sport, arts, film and heritage organisations," said culture secretary Nicky Morgan.

"If we wish to get the best out of all the great talent in our country it is vital that we offer the next generation opportunities to build character and resilience, not just in school but outside the school day."

More than £2m of the total £7m funding will go towards setting up new Local Partnerships across the country, designed to effectively coordinate and sustain local youth activities.

Areas will be encouraged to bid for a Local Partnership, that will bring together existing providers, statutory partners and the private sector to deliver programmes for young people.

The investment follows the chancellor’s announcement last year of a £500m Youth Investment Fund for the five years from April 2020, to give young people "somewhere to go, something positive to do and someone to speak to".