Deadline: 28-Aug-25
The Carers: Supporting Change Funding Programme is for projects that will reduce health inequalities for unpaid carers, through systems change.
By this they mean making meaningful and lasting changes to the way things work. So unpaid carers wellbeing is better and they can stay healthy in their caring role.
By unpaid carers they mean adults or children who look after a relative, friend or neighbour. They might look after someone due to a disability, illness, mental health condition, addiction or old age.
Funding Information
- £500,000 to £2 million. For 5 to 10 years. You can also apply for up to £50,000 in development funding. They expect to fund around 4 or 5 projects.
The projects they fund
- Your project must reduce health inequalities that unpaid carers experience.
- Unpaid carers can face more health challenges. They can experience poverty, isolation and can find it hard to get support. They’re looking for projects that will make a long-term difference to their health and wellbeing.
- You must show them how you’ll:
- make long-term changes to the systems that affect unpaid carers health
- involve people with experience of care in influencing these changes. Particularly, how you’ll help unpaid carers have more control over decisions that affect their health and wellbeing.
- work with other organisations
- use learning and evidence to inform your project. They’ll also expect you to consider how you’ll use what you learned to make changes after the project ends.
- Your project must make long-term changes to the systems that affect unpaid carers health
- They want to fund projects that will make meaningful and lasting changes to the way things work. So unpaid carers wellbeing is better, and they can stay healthy in their caring role.
- Your project will need to have a significant impact for unpaid carers. This could be through a large-scale project like changing the way carers access services. By working with different organisations and sectors.
- Your project must involve people with experience of unpaid care
- By people with experience of unpaid care they mean adults or children who:
- currently care for someone or have cared for someone before
- receive care or have received care in the past.
- By people with experience of unpaid care they mean adults or children who:
- They know that many people do not see themselves as unpaid carers. They’re particularly interested in projects that reach these people.
- This can include:
- parents that care for a child with additional support needs or disabilities
- older people that care for their partner
- people that care for someone with an addiction
- young carers
- LGBTQ+ carers
- ethnically minoritised carers
- This can include:
Eligibility Criteria
- You can apply if your organisation is a:
- constituted voluntary or community organisation
- registered charity
- Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO)
- not-for-profit company
- community interest company (CIC)
- statutory body (including local authorities and community councils)
- community benefit society.
- Partnerships and groups of organisations can also apply.
- You need at least 3 board or committee members who are not related
- Related can mean:
- related by marriage
- in a civil partnership with each other
- in a long-term relationship with each other
- related through a long-term partner
- living together at the same address
- related by blood
- Related can mean:
Ineligibility Criteria
- They cannot accept applications from:
- individuals
- sole traders
- organisations based outside the UK
- companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including Companies Limited by Shares)
- organisations applying to more than one of the programmes for the same project over the same period.
For more information, visit The National Lottery Community Fund.