Cheltenham Health and Wellbeing Fund

Overview

Background

As we recover from the pandemic, many people in our communities continue to face both physical and emotional health and wellbeing challenges – which are now being exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.

We also know that there are corresponding pressures on the organisations that support our communities including health, public and community-based organisations.

Health partners have agreed to create a pot of funding to support community-based projects that will help improve the health and wellbeing of local residents and the communities they live in. 

Grant priorities – to support community-based organisations that will: 

1. Support individuals or communities that are facing health inequalities that are likely to have been exacerbated by the pandemic and/or the cost of living crisis – OUR KEY PRIORITY 
2. Enable communities to take an active role in improving their health and wellbeing both physically and emotionally
3. Encourage people to adopt active and healthy lifestyles
4. Deliver strengths-based wellbeing activities that enable people to re-connect with their communities
5. Help people to take more responsibility for their health and wellbeing

The types of projects we would like to support:

We do not want to be overly-prescriptive in the types of health and wellbeing projects we would like to see come forward. But we would like to encourage projects to consider including the following:

• Opportunities for people to be more physically active
• Opportunities for people to improve their mental wellbeing
• Opportunities for people to be more creative and/or culturally engaged
• Opportunities for people to develop new skills
• Opportunities for people to volunteer
• Opportunities to build links to the wider sustainability agenda

Grant criteria that we will use to assess grant applications.

• Does the project meet our key priority and one or more of the remaining four priority areas listed above?
• Is the project based on an evidence that it is needed and or be innovative and include plans for a robust evaluation
• Does the project that work hand in hand with the beneficiaries, understanding their needs and working with them to co-create the interventions?
• Is the project inclusive, compassionate and strengths-based?
• Is the project sustainable beyond the end of the grant funding (whether the project itself is sustained or simply the benefits)
• Is the project community-based enabling beneficiaries to build longer-term relationships with local providers and therefore more sustainable in the longer run?
• Does the project represent good value for money

Who can apply?

The fund is open to any formally constituted organisations with a UK-based bank account in the name of your organisation (or for schools, a local authority bank account), including voluntary and community sector groups, social enterprises, public sector organisations and schools.

How much can be applied for?

The maximum budget to be allocated per project will be £10,000. But please contact us if your project requires more funding.

What we will not fund

• Activities that take place or any expenditure incurred or committed before we confirm our grant (including deposits)
• Projects that are being delivered outside Cheltenham Borough
• Loans or interest payments
• Political or religious activities
• Projects where it is considered that assistance may have been received from a third party for their own commercial benefit
• Projects or activities that the public sector has a legal obligation to provide
• VAT that you can recover

How to apply

Please use the online application form to apply for the grant. 

Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications from individuals - all applications must come from an organisation.

Timescales

Due to the need to award funding to projects that are addressing the current cost of living crisis, we will carry out a first round of assessments by the end of September. 

We will then carry out a second round of assessments by the end of October. 

Please contact communityservices@cheltenham.gov.uk if you wish to discuss timescales. 

Why your views matter

Please use this online form to make your application to the Cheltenham Health and Wellbeing Fund.

*For details of how your information will be used please see Cheltenham Borough Council's privacy policy *

What happens next

From the end of September onwards, an assessment panel, which will include representatives from Cheltenham Integrated Locality Partnership will begin to assess the submitted applications. They will consider the information supplied on the proposals form to assess the following seven criteria:

• Does the project meet our key priority and one or more of the remaining four priority areas listed above?
• Is the project based on an evidence that it is needed and or be innovative and include plans for a robust evaluation?
• Does the project that work hand-in-hand with the beneficiaries, understanding their needs and working with them to co-create the interventions?
• Is the project inclusive, compassionate and strengths-based?
• Is the project sustainable beyond the end of the grant funding (whether the project itself is sustained or simply the benefits)?
• Is the project community-based enabling beneficiaries to build longer-term relationships with local providers and therefore more sustainable in the longer run?
• Does the project represent good value for money.