Grant pot worth £100,000 announced across Shropshire to support adults with mental illnesses
The Community Foundation for Shropshire has announced a grant scheme worth £100,000 to support and aid adults with severe mental illness.
The Community Foundation for Shropshire has announced a new local grant scheme worth £100,000 and invites community and voluntary groups in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to apply for up to £20,000 to support and aid adults with severe mental illness.
Applications are now open with a deadline of 14th January 2024. For more information contact the Community Foundation now on 01743 295900 or apply via shropshire.foundation.
Funding is available for equipment, training and events to create projects that will provide access to activities and give positive experience to adults with severe mental illness.
The Community Foundation for Shropshire is managing the scheme on behalf of Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, with the funding having been secured via the new Community Mental Health Transformation Programme in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
This forms part of a national programme set out in the NHS Long Term Plan which will enable people with severe mental illness to access care and support in a new, more joined up and effective way. It will involve GPs, local authorities and community and voluntary organisations connecting and working together. The outcome will be that regardless of their diagnosis or level of complexity, people will be able to access flexible and personalised care and support closer to home and more quickly.
This service provision will be aligned to the Community Mental Health Service Areas Teams operating in North Shropshire, Central Shropshire, South Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. The Community Mental Health Service Area Teams are aligned to the eight Primary Care Networks and cover the same areas as Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin councils.
Nikki Winmill, Programmes Officer from the Community Foundation for Shropshire said, “We are planning for two rounds of grant funding every twelve months. In this first year we are aiming to award £100,000”.
“In the first round of grant funding there will be focus on young adults (aged 18-25). The grant awarding panel are looking to prioritise projects which also support other underrepresented groups, such as Muslim and Eastern European communities, individuals and families seeking asylum; LGBTQ+ people; people with co-occurring needs and substance misuse issues; people with disabilities; travelling communities; veterans and service personnel; people in rural communities ;and farmers.”
Nikki continued, “Voluntary sector organisations that operate in, or are based in, the Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin areas, are eligible to apply. However, they must have a local connection to the area in which the proposal will be delivered and clearly demonstrate this connection. We won’t be able to consider applications without a clear demonstration of that local connection.”
The Community Foundation for Shropshire is a recognised and approved distributor of grants funded by government, local authorities and statutory agencies, plus national charities like Arts Council England, and businesses such as Nationwide Building Society and the Co-op. They have been operating since 2001, and across the whole Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin area since 2016. So far they have awarded more than £2.5 million in grants across the county.
They are also the first to respond by way of emergency appeals. Over the last few years, they have managed several high profile appeals in Shropshire and Telford, to help with winter fuel costs, covid, local floods, the cost-of-living crisis, and Ukrainian refugees.
The Community Foundation for Shropshire are members of UKCF (United Kingdom Community Foundations) and are accredited to exceptionally high standards through the UKCF accreditation system, and the ISO9001 management standards. They have the experience, expertise, regional and nationwide support to manage multiple, large scale grant giving initiatives across Shropshire.
The application process is now open until 14th January 2024 for grants of between £1,000 and £20,000. Organisations are being asked to apply via shropshire.foundation with organisations encouraged to call The Community Foundation’s Programmes Team on 01743 295900 if they need any support with the paperwork.
