We are launching a round of Mental Health funding, thanks to £210,000 from Oxfordshire County Council and a partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council. Grants will be made to groups to support Oxfordshire County Council’s vision to prevent poor mental health and cultivate good mental wellbeing for the people of Oxfordshire in their communities.
The target beneficiaries for this grant are groups that support:
- Pregnant women and new mothers, including their families
- Autistic children and young people and their families
- LGBTQ+ young adults
- Men 30-59 years old, especially those experiencing relationship issues
- Prevent poor mental health and cultivate good mental wellbeing.
- Narrow inequalities in mental health and wellbeing.
- Support community-based activities including peer support, and community support groups.
- Registered Charity, Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Charitable Company (Limited by Guarantee), Community Interest Company, a Constituted but Unincorporated Club or Association (i.e. it has a constitution but is not one of the other entities listed above)
- Operating in Oxfordshire
- Income under £1 million
- At least one year of operation; if constituted for less than one year but active for longer, evidence should be provided.
- Have a bank account in its own name with at least two unrelated signatories, open for three months or more.
- Have at least three trustees/committee members/directors who are not related to each other.
- Have at least three months’ running costs in reserves (if they are more than 12 months, an explanation will be requested).
- Be open to people of all religions and political affiliations, and must not attempt to convert people.
- Up to date monitoring and reporting to OCF for any previous grants received from OCF.
- Costs incurred from grant award July 2024 to end of August 2026
- Ongoing running costs, including full cost recovery
- Project costs
- Capital costs
- Promotional costs
23rd April 2024 – Applications are open
21st May 2024 (midday) – Deadline to submit applications
15th July 2024 – Funding decisions announced
22nd July 2024 – Deadline for successful applicants to provide required financial and governance evidence
End of August 2024 – Grants paid by this date (contingent on financial and governance evidence being received)
We are also pleased to offer a variety of sessions with our Grants Team, who will be able to provide guidance on the application process and answer any questions you may have. The dates are available in the guidance document.
We will be holding a variety of sessions to help you decide if the Better Mental Health Fund is suitable for your organisation, and to support you in completing your application form. These are:
1st May, 2-3pm: Online launch webinar
- Sarah Changizi-Cooper, Grants Officer, will talk through the grant and the application process.
- Join the Zoom meeting (Meeting ID: 851 2178 8903 Passcode: 336607)
8th May, 2-3pm: Virtual drop-in session
- The Grants team will be available online between 2-3pm for you to ask any specific questions relating to your application
- No need to book a time. Each person will meet with a member of our Grants Team individually so you may need to wait in the virtual waiting room until one of our team are available to speak to you.
- Each person will be allocated up to 15 minutes to discuss their query.
- Join the Zoom meeting (Meeting ID: 872 3417 9788 Passcode: 647938)
29th April to 20th May, various times: Virtual one-to-one appointments
- Book a 15-minute virtual appointment with Sarah, our Grants Officer if you cannot attend the
webinar & drop-in or if you have any further questions on your application. - Book a one-to-one appointment
The first step is to read the full guidance document, which gives all the details you need about eligibility, and the advice sessions.
Better Mental Health Fund guidance document
You can then complete our Application Form