Community mental health micro grants

Update 20 October 2022 - Fund now closed to applications due to maximisation of funding pot

Support in Mind Scotland has been funded by the Scottish Government to work with them to improve the mental wellbeing of people in rural communities as we all recover from the pandemic.

This fund is part of a larger community engagement project, working directly with people in local communities to raise awareness, identify need and work collectively to develop creative local solutions to address local needs. 

This Grants Scheme is designed to fund creative local ideas that develop as communities work together to protect and support the people most excluded as we recover from Covid. 

Purpose of the fund 

Local groups and organisations across Scotland’s rural communities (as defined by the Scottish Government) are now able to apply for micro grants of up to £2,500 to support and promote mental health recovery following the pandemic in Scotland’s rural communities through community engagement and support approaches. 

The grants are specifically aimed at people who face additional inequalities in achieving good mental health whilst recovering from the pandemic and are particularly aimed at:  

• People who are marginalised and experience health inequalities due to factors such as poverty and social deprivation  
• People who face multiple layers of inequality within specific marginalised groups: 
  • Refugees and Asylum Seekers  
  • Young Carers  
  • LGBTI+ communities  

 The grants will be available to apply to for in three rounds of applications across all three areas: 

Round 1: open  11th January – close 31 March 2022 

Round 2: open 1st April – close 15 July 2022 

Round 3: open 1st August – close 21 October 2022

All funding awarded must be spent by end March 2023, with final reports and evaluations completed by end June 2023.  

Grants must deliver at least one of the following outcomes: 

•  Raise awareness of the need to look after mental health and seek help and support   
• Avert people slipping into crisis and being at risk  
• Provide immediate practical support and help (housing, benefits respite)   
• Provide resilience/confidence intervention  
• Address specific barriers to accessing mainstream support services including but not only language or cultural barriers. 

These grants will fund: 

• One-off events that meet the criteria in rural Scotland
• Community activities that bring communities together 
• Providing short-term immediate crisis support   
• Activities that allow individuals and communities to address loneliness and isolation 
• Awareness raising 

This list is for illustration only and there may be other ideas that your group want to develop. 

These grants will not fund: 

• Work that is long-term, meeting chronic long-term support needs 
• Grants for individuals 
• Core costs not related directly to the activity 
• Items of equipment not directly related to the activity 

Eligibility criteria 

All sizes of groups/organisations are eligible to apply but we will prioritise smaller community groups who have less access to funding, or for whom a relatively small amount will make the biggest difference. 

Grants can be for existing projects where funding is particularly difficult to find; but we will prioritise activities that are new, or that are exploring new approaches, or are reaching new communities or individuals who currently do not have access to that support 

Groups applying must have a set of rules and an organisational bank account to receive the funds. Grants will not be paid into individual bank accounts on behalf of an organisation or group. 

If groups are new and/or these are not in place: 

• You could seek help from a host organisation to receive the funds on your behalf  
• Ask for help to set these up from our Engagement Team 
• Apply for a later round of funding when they are in place 

Bids will be welcomed from groups and organisations in conjunction with other delivery partners; but will only match fund a larger project if the specific activity that a micro-grant will fund, and the impact of the grant can be clearly identified and measured. 

You can find further details and the application form here and below. Application forms and any enquiries should be directed to rnovak@supportinmindscotland.org.uk