The NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Children's and Young People's Mental Health Plan (2024–2026)
The NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Children's and Young People's Mental Health Plan aims to improve mental health outcomes for young people through early intervention, support, and crisis response. Key priorities include expanding access to mental health services, addressing disparities, integrating trauma-informed care, and enhancing support for complex needs. The plan follows the THRIVE Framework, which focuses on providing targeted help across diverse care needs. For further details, you can access the full plan here.
Mental health and wellbeing funding sources
This is a selection of funding sources appropriate for mental health and wellbeing sourced from the Charity Excellence website.
UK Charity Mental Health And Wellbeing Projects - General Grant Funding
Lankelly Chase - grant funding for severe disadvantages such as homelessness, drug misuse, violence and abuse, and mental ill health.
Bergqvist Charitable Trust - health, the arts, education and the environment, by making grants to specialist registered charities and community organisations. There is a particular emphasis on epilepsy and psychiatric research projects and assisting people with epilepsy and mental health conditions. Annual spend £50k.
Welland Trust – Supports projects in England and Wales. They are particularly keen to support the creation of opportunities to help reduce homelessness, reduce reoffending and support that will enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of adults who've been in care.
Mental Health & Wellbeing - Core Funding Grants
Albert Hunt Trust - charities with income under £250k, capital, core/running costs, hospice, homeless, health & wellbeing, UK wide, not overseas.
Allen Lane Foundation - small grants for start-up, core or project costs. Asylum-seekers and refugees, LGBTQI+, Gypsies and Travellers, Migrant workers, Offenders and ex-offenders, Older people, mental health problems and violence/abuse. Also supports groups that are not charities.
Henry Smith Charity - £20k – £60k per year, for 1 to 3 years, charities and social enterprises with income £50k - £2m pa. Funds a wide range of areas, including mental health. Priority to areas of high deprivation. Also makes grants to small, registered charities in 8 English Counties.
Rayne Foundation - may award core funding when an organisation is making a step-change in the way that it works or tackles a particular issue. UK not-for-profit organisations - arts, health and wellbeing, education and social issues. Areas of special interest include young people’s mental health. Target funding towards issues and organisations which do not enjoy widespread public support.
Schroder Charity Trust - up to £5,000 towards core and project costs to UK registered charities. Funds a range of areas, including Health and Wellbeing. There are 2 rounds of grants made each year.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Funding – England
Comic Relief Community Fund (England) – currently closed for grants but has supported mental health and wellbeing within its grants programmes and one to look out for when grants rounds reopen.
G & K Boyes Charitable Trust – supports local and national charities in both England and Wales from a wide range of causes including the relief of those suffering from both physical and mental health issues. Both small and large donations provided and have supported salary costs in the past.
Fairness Foundation - provides grant funding for a range of areas, including mental health in England & Wales. Income £1.3m.
Hodge Foundation – England & Wales. Welfare, education, medical and faith, including those with mental health issues.
Coalfields Community Investment Programme for England - projects in most deprived coalfield communities addressing skills, employment, health and wellbeing; will fund core costs up to 50% of the total costs.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Grant Funding - Young People
BBC Children In Need - for UK based not-for-profits. Children and young people aged 18 years and under experiencing disadvantage - Would to see more applications from the North, for youth work provision across the North, which provides food to children and young people, alongside the activities delivered. Thematic areas of interest are; Projects and organisations supporting children and young people from these categories: children and young people who have been criminally exploited are vulnerable to violence, children and young people with experience of care, children and young people affected by domestic abuse.
Cheshire Community Foundation – small grants up to £2,500 including support for good health and wellbeing – previous programmes have been delivered specifically for mental health and wellbeing (Young Minds Matter and Cheshire Minds Matter) with a possible further round of Young Minds Matter in development.
Connecting Communities...Changing Lives (focusfoundation.org.uk)- support UK-based charities and social enterprises to make a positive and lasting change to people’s lives, including mental health charities & initiatives, local to one of Focus Group’s regional offices.
Ormiston Families - Community services for isolated and vulnerable children, young people and families; Children and families affected by imprisonment; emotional well-being of children and young people and gypsy and traveller communities.
Leus Family Foundation - grant funding for health and wellbeing, cultural awareness and sport for children and young people.
Pixel Fund - Up to £5,000 for UK charities promoting mental health and wellbeing in children and young people. Priority to charities with income under £10m pa.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Funding - Small Charities & Community Projects
Chapman Charitable Trust - Promote physical and mental wellbeing, conserve our natural environment, and increase the accessibility of the arts. Most grants £1000 or £2000. Funds registered UK national charities. Will also fund local charities, in North Wales and SE England.
Les Mills Fund For Children - Registered charities and non-profit organisations who will do the most to improve the education and physical and emotional wellbeing of children aged 0-16. Living in poverty, physical and mental health problems, health and wellbeing and living with disability. Grants up to £1000. Funding deadlines are every 4 months.
DWF Foundation - Provides funds, resources and support to help communities achieve their full potential. Registered charities. Funding for a range of areas, including health and wellbeing. Up to £5k.
Percy Bilton Charity - UK charities assisting disadvantaged youth, people with disabilities, people with mental health problems and older people may apply for grants towards furnishings and equipment (excluding office items), building or refurbishment projects. Majority of grants £2,000 to £5,000.
Postcode Communities Trust - to support smaller charities and good causes in Wales. Grant funding for a range of areas, including improving mental wellbeing. Note: funded by a lottery. Most grants up to £2k, some up to £20k. Funds CICs.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Funding For Churches & Faith Groups
Anchor Foundation - registered Christian charities who are working to address social exclusion with a particular interest in charities working within healing and the arts. From £500 to £10,000. Applications are considered twice yearly
Mental Health & Wellbeing Funding – Women
Grants at a glance - Pilgrim Trust (thepilgrimtrust.org.uk)- £5m programme over the next 5-years (2021-2026) that aims to improve the mental health of young women (16-25) in the UK, by supporting access for young women to high quality, age and gender informed mental health services.
