Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults Y5

Highland Third Sector Interface are pleased to share details of funding available for third sector organisations in Highland to promote adult mental health and wellbeing.

Our Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund for Adults is now offering multiple grants you may apply for, including two year grants depending on your plans and eligibility.

All grants are aimed at grassroots community organisations to promote mental health and wellbeing and/or protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population.

Questions and Queries

For any queries relating to your funding application or the process, please contact Marion MacNeil on funding@highlandtsi.org.uk or 07826 821 545.

For any enquiries relating to technical difficulties with the meeting links or the application form, please email enquiry@highlandtsi.org.uk.

Micro Grants

Up to £10,000 for one year

Opens 04 July 2025

Closing date 05 August

For grassroots activity which aims to address one or more of the following:

Reducing social isolation
Unpaid carers and those with a long-term condition
Prevention of crisis and suicide
Rurally distanced
Poverty
Trauma

Small Grants:

Up to £20,000 each year for 2 years

Open 04 July 2025

Closing date 14 August

To support grassroots activity to address any of the national or local priorities in line with the principles of the fund.

Tackle mental health inequalities through supporting a range of ‘at risk’ groups.
Address priority issues of social isolation and loneliness, suicide prevention and poverty and inequality with a particular emphasis on responding to the cost-of-living crisis and support to those facing socio-economic disadvantage.
Support small ‘grass roots’ community groups and organisations to deliver such activities.
Provide opportunities for people to connect with each other, build trusted relationships and revitalise communities.

Collaborative Grants:

Up to £50,000 each year for 2 years

Open 29 August 2025 for EOIs

1st Stage closes w/c 29 September

2nd Stage w/c 12 January 2026 with an in person presentation and discussion.

To support greater collaboration between one or more organisations in meeting the underpinning priorities and improving identification pathways, support mechanisms and building trusted relationships.

This fund aims to support the Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy, including:

Better equipped communities to support people’s mental health and wellbeing and provide opportunities to connect with others
Promote positive mental health and wellbeing for the whole population, improving understanding and tackling stigma, inequality and discrimination;
Prevent mental health issues occurring or escalating and tackle underlying causes, adversities and inequalities wherever possible; and
Provide mental health and wellbeing support and care, ensuring people and communities can access the right information, skills, services

Online Support Sessions

Micro/Small Grants

Monday 21 July, 10am - 12noon

Collaboration Grants

Tuesday 26 August, 10am - 12noon

Intensive Capacity Building Grants (geographic)

Capacity Building Grants <£20,000 will be targeted at geographic communities, who meet certain conditions, such as lack of prior investment and specific demographics, including levels of deprivation, with an offer of support to build community capacity. These will be determined in collaboration with our TSI delivery partners and limited to three grants each year.

Intensive Capacity Building Grants (thematic)

Capacity Building Grants <£20,000 will be targeted at organisations offering specialist services for previously underinvested thematic areas, to be determined in partnership with the Highland Mental Health Delivery Group. These will be limited to three grants each year.

Fund Information

The overarching aim of the Fund is to:

Support community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population (aged 16 or over), with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention.

Specifically, the fund aims to:

Tackle mental health inequalities through supporting a range of ‘at risk’ groups.
Address priority issues of social isolation and loneliness, suicide prevention and poverty and inequality with a particular emphasis on responding to the cost-of-living crisis and support to those facing socio-economic disadvantage.
Support small ‘grass roots’ community groups and organisations to deliver such activities.
Provide opportunities for people to connect with each other, build trusted relationships and revitalise communities.

The Fund directly contributes to Outcome 4 of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy published in June 2023:

“better equipped communities to support people’s mental health and wellbeing and provide opportunities to connect with others”

It also clearly supports three key areas of focus in the Strategy:

Promote positive mental health and wellbeing for the whole population, improving understanding and tackling stigma, inequality and discrimination;
Prevent mental health issues occurring or escalating and tackle underlying causes, adversities and inequalities wherever possible; and
Provide mental health and wellbeing support and care, ensuring people and communities can access the right information, skills, services

The Fund also seeks to contribute to the following national outcomes from the National Performance Framework:

We are healthy and active;
We will live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe;
We tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally.

How to Apply - Micro Grants

Please consult the relevant Guidance document, available below, before applying.

With both the Micro Grants <£10,000 and the Small Grants <£20,000, an initial assessment will be made against the essential criteria shortly after the closing date.

If your application meets the essential criteria, it will be assessed by the funding panel (see dates below).

An application for both the Micro Grant and the Small Grant will include an application form, including a financial breakdown of project costs and your most recent verified accounts.

Important Dates
The Micro Grants fund opens Friday 4 July 2025 and closes for application at midday, Tuesday 05 August 2025.

The panel will meet the w/c 18 August and decisions will be shared w/c 25 August 2025.

Micro Grants Application Form

How to Apply - Small Grants

Please consult the relevant Guidance document, available below, before applying.

With both the Micro Grants <£10,000 and the Small Grants <£20,000, an initial assessment will be made against the essential criteria shortly after the closing date.

If your application meets the essential criteria, it will be assessed by the funding panel (see dates below).

An application for both the Micro Grant and the Small Grant will include an application form, including a financial breakdown of project costs and your most recent verified accounts.

Important Dates
The Micro Grants fund opens Friday 4 July 2025 and closes for application at midday, Thursday 14 August 2025.

The panel will meet w/c 8 September and decisions will be shared w/c 15 September 2025.

Small Grants Application Form

How to Apply - Collaborative Grants

Please consult the relevant Guidance document, available below, before applying.

An application for the Collaborative Grants will include an expression of interest. If invited to proceed to second stage, you would be required to produce a business proposal on the proposed activity, prepare a presentation to outline the proposal, and a brief informal interview with the funding panel.

If your application meets the essential criteria, it will be assessed by the funding panel (see dates below).

Important Dates
The Expression of Interest (EOI) opens Friday 29 August 2025 and the deadline to submit is Midday, Tuesday 30 September 2025.

Invitations to present proposals will be shared w/c 17 November 2025.

The panel will meet w/c 12 January 2026 and descisions will be shared w/c 19 January 2026.

All Dates:

Micro Grants Timeline

Application opens 04 July 2025
Deadline Midday, 05 August 2025

Panel w/c 18 August 2025
Decisions shared w/c 25 August 2025

Small Grants Timeline

Application opens 04 July 2025

Deadline Midday 14 August 2025

Panel w/c 8 September 2025
Decisions shared w/c 15 September 2025

Collaborative Grants Timeline

Expression of interest (EOI)

EOI opens 29 August 2025
EOI deadline Midday, 30 September 2025
Invite to present proposals shared w/c 17 November 2025
Panel presentations w/c 12 January 2026
Decisions shared w/c 12 January 2026

Questions or Queries:

For any other queries relating to your funding application or the process, please contact Marion MacNeil on funding@highlandtsi.org.uk or 07826 821 545.

For any enquiries relating to technical difficulties with the meeting links or the application forms, please email enquiry@highlandtsi.org.uk.

This Fund is for Third Sector organisations in Highland and is specifically looking to support local action and is open to groups no matter how small or new - any constituted Third Sector Organisation who has access to their own bank account and can demonstrate their ability to competently deliver what they set out in their application.

Applications can be accepted from:

Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIO)
Companies Limited by Guarantee
Trusts
Not-for-profit company or asset locked company or Community Interest Companies (CIC)
Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies
Community councils
Parent councils are eligible to apply, but the activities must specifically focus on supporting adults rather than their children.

The Government are anticipating that most applications will come from smaller grass roots organisations, with encouragement to consider projects that put participation and co-design at the heart of an application.

National charities and those with incomes over £1million p.a. are not prohibited from applying, but will only be awarded a grant by exception. This will be considered against the needs identified and the availability of grassroots community groups to meet those needs.

Unincorporated Associations (UAs) will not be eligible to apply for a grant, but you may collaborate with another organisation which has the infrastructure and safeguards to help minimise risk. In this scenario, the other organisation would be the lead applicant, and the UA would deliver the project in partnership.

We can support un-constituted groups, by supporting them to become constituted or helping identify local partners.

What will the Micro Grants programme fund?

As outlined in the fund aims, these should fund community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population.

The maximum grant awarded will be £10,000 for one year. This should give you an indication of the scale and scope of the projects that would be considered appropriate for the micro grants process. If you require £10,000 per year for two years, then you should apply for a small grant instead. Collaborative bids that require £10K or less for only one year, should apply for the Micro Grant, not the Collaborative Grant.

Support is available from Marion MacNeil, Development Officer (Funds & Fundraising) to prepare relevant evidence for your application. Email: funding@highlandtsi.org.uk.

General advice for all grant programmes:

You may choose one or more priority groups to work with and focus your activity on addressing one or more of the national and/or local priorities. However, whichever group you choose to work with, your application should demonstrate their involvement in the design and delivery of activities.

You should also define the outcomes you aim to achieve, through engagement with the priority group to develop appropriate methods of measuring the success of the project.

Please refer to the case studies from previous years for the type of projects that demonstrated good practice and subsequently were awarded grants.

What Small Grants 2 years (<£20,000 per year) fund?

As with the micro grants, these will fund community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population.

The maximum grant awarded will be £20,000 which will be paid annually, subject to relevant conditions being met. The amount you request should be determined by the proposed activity and forecasted spend, rather than the amount available.

General advice for all grant programmes:

You should also define the outcomes you aim to achieve, through engagement with the priority group to develop appropriate methods of measuring the success of the project.

Please refer to the case studies from previous years for the type of projects that demonstrated good practice and subsequently were awarded grants.

Our information briefing covered the rationale behind the fund and the approach for applicants in Highland, as well as exploring the essential criteria and guidance on the process for each grants programme. If you did not manage to attend this briefing, the recording is available here.

We have also scheduled group support sessions for those who would like to explore the application forms in more detail and ask questions relating to your application.

Online Support Sessions

Micro/Small Grants

Monday 21 July, 10am - 12noon

Collaboration Grants

Tuesday 26 August, 10am - 12noon

In Highland we are working in partnership with the Community Planning Partnership to deliver this funding programme. As such a panel of individuals from both Public and Third Sector organisations, including those who have been selected because of their relevant life experiences, will work together to approve applications.

While the Fund can support the expansion of existing activities, it is intended to provide additionality, not replacement funding. Furthermore, projects funded through previous years are eligible to apply again but must clearly show how they will develop on previous activity by actively involving service users to improve outcomes and where possible, demonstrate impacts from previous funding.

What Collaborative Grants 2 years (<£50,000 per year) fund?

This fund is aimed at organisations who wish to collaborate with partners in meeting the underpinning priorities for a geographic or thematic community.

This level of investment provides the potential for positive change to be realised over a longer timeframe than usual. The amount requested should be determined by the costs of the activity you intend to deliver during this timeframe.

For a collaborative bid, each organisation must be an active partner in the delivery of the proposed activity but the workload itself does not have to be equally split.

Collaborative approaches that include participants and organisations from other sectors are not excluded, but a Third Sector Organisation needs to be the accountable and lead member of the collaborative project.

Support is available from Marion MacNeil, Senior Development Officer (Funding) to prepare relevant evidence for your application.

Email: funding@highlandtsi.org.uk.

General advice for all grant programmes:

You should also define the outcomes you aim to achieve, through engagement with the priority group to develop appropriate methods of measuring the success of the project.

Please refer to the case studies from previous years for the type of projects that demonstrated good practice and subsequently were awarded grants.