Mental Health Support Fund in the UK

Deadline: 22-Oct-21

The Community Foundation North Ireland is inviting applications for Mental Health Support Fund to provide support for mental health charities.

Funding Information

Grant size: Small Grants £5,000 – £30,000 Medium Grants £30,000 – £100,000
Grant values of between £5k and £100k will be made available to charities.
Projects can be for 12 months, 24 months, or longer, providing that they are all complete by mid March 2024.

Funding considerations

Priority will be given to organisations that are delivering projects that have a direct impact on services users
Project may be directly linked to the funding outcomes, but may also be indirectly linked by providing intervention through the provision of advice, training, advocacy or research aimed at furthering issues/rights of mental health patients with government or other statutory bodies
Innovative interventions, projects or those of a pilot nature which have the potential to enhance support in the longer term would be particularly welcome
Applications that align with the draft Mental Health Strategy are particular welcomed
Joint applications from organisations are welcomed
Projects must be delivered by suitably qualified providers, for example, appropriately qualified Counsellors, and/or mental health practitioners. Please outline the qualifications of those delivering within your application
Applications should demonstrate a need and a methodology is in place to determine how progress against a relevant outcome(s) will be measured
The assessment of applications may include consideration of the sustainability of the service to be delivered in the proposal, and
The assessment of applications may include consideration of the geographic coverage of organisations and/or projects
Proposals will be particularly welcome which focus on supporting those living in rural communities and from the lesser heard/excluded or marginalised communities
Work linked to support people as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and associated limitations to everyday life will be prioritised.

Project Outcomes

These funding awards will equip and enable charities to provide a wide range of support services for people with mental ill health throughout Northern Ireland. This may include services aimed at keeping people well, and/or ensuring that those who have previously been unwell remain well.
Whilst this may be on all steps on the stepped care model, guiding mental health interventions in Northern Ireland, it is expected that most interventions will be provided at step 1 and 2, with some on step 3. These interventions are key support to mental ill health as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and to strengthen the person centred care approach in the new 10 year Mental Health Strategy.
Mental health charities and groups are invited to submit proposals on key themes including specific outcomes, all which are linked to improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of the population, such as:
- Talking therapies, psychological therapies and similar interventions;
- Interventions which reduce pressures on mental health acute in-patient facilities for adults and children including in-reach to in-patient mental health services where there is support from the HSC Trusts;
- Interventions which is expected to have an overall impact on the need for people to access statutory services;
- Support for individuals, families and carers to improve emotional wellbeing and mental health through self help;
- Support individuals, families and carers to access mental health and wellbeing services they need at the right time and place;
- Support to individuals with mental health problems to engage more fully in society;
- Support to individuals, families and carers to access technology to assist in improving their mental health, managing their mental health, treating their mental health, or in their recovery from mental ill health;
- Reduction in stigma associated with mental health;
- Advocacy and peer support work; and
- Capacity building and sustainability in the delivery of mental health interventions and projects.
For an application to be successful, it must contribute to one or more of the above outcomes, depending on the level of funding applied for. Funding will not be awarded for cash awards to service users, or personal items, for example wellbeing or food hampers.
The Community Foundation can only fund groups with charitable purposes and not any projects delivered by statutory sources