Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults 2025/26
FUND OPENS AT 5PM, 4TH JUNE 2025
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults was established in October 2021. To date, around £66 million has been distributed across Scotland to community initiatives supporting mental health and wellbeing. Over the last four years, residents of East Renfrewshire have benefited from £947,869.21 awarded through 124 grants to groups and organisations. It has been announced that a further £15 million has been awarded for the fifth year of funding (2025 – 2026).
Here, in East Renfrewshire, this fund is being distributed via Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire SCIO (VAER), in partnership with our local Integrated Joint Board (IJB), Community Planning Partnership (CPP) and community organisations through our Wellbeing Network.
This fund’s ambition is to support initiatives promoting mental health and well-being at a small-scale, grassroots, community level. It should be accessible to all groups, no matter how small or inexperienced they are. It can support both new and existing groups or projects. They do not have to have mental health and wellbeing as their main focus, but the application does have to clearly demonstrate how your project will benefit the mental wellbeing of people (aged 16 or over) in their community.
As in previous years, applicants can apply for one year of funding. However, as part of the Scottish Government’s Fair Funding Pilot, constituted groups/organisations now have the option to apply for two-year funding, subject to continued grant availability. Those interested in two-year funding are required to contact VAER before applying at funding@va-er.org.uk.
We require all applicants to read and fully understand both the Funding Criteria and the Application Guidance before applying. Through reading this, applicants can find useful information on what can and cannot be funded, along with information on funding deadlines.
Please note that a strict 10 AM cut-off is observed on the deadline date.
We are aware that in Year 4 some unsuccessful projects have been demonstrating their frustration in a range of ways, including subjecting TSI staff members to inappropriate comments. Whilst it is understandable that projects not being funded will feel disappointment, especially in the light of wider financial constraints, abusive behaviour or language directed towards staff members will result in the immediate withdrawal of your application and may lead to disqualification from future funding opportunities.
Apply Here:
One Year Funding
Open to applications
For two -year funding option contact us at
funding@va-er.org.uk
Who can apply?
Check out the funding criteria, funding priorities and who should benefit from the fund
Fund Guidance and Resources
Download and read the full guidance and other related resources before applying.
Previous Funding Recipients
Find more information on all successful grant recipients from 2021 - 2024
Who can apply?
The ambition of this Fund is to support initiatives which promote mental health and wellbeing at a small scale, grassroots, community level. Applications can be accepted from a wide range of voluntary, ‘not for profit’ organisations, associations, groups and clubs or collaboratives/partnerships which have a strong community focus towards their activities.
The types of organisations that can apply are:
- Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIO)
- Unincorporated Associations
- Trusts
- Companies Limited by Guarantee (must also be registered as a charitable company with OSCR)
- Not-for-profit company or asset locked company or Community Interest Companies (CIC)
- Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies
- Community councils
- Parent councils (*Subject to conditions)
The Fund will also consider funding Unconstituted groups, either by supporting them to be become constituted, or by supporting a partnership application with a constituted entity (that meets criteria above) holding a grant for the Unconstituted group.
The Fund can support both existing and new projects. Projects funded through the first 4 years of the Fund are eligible to apply again, however, applicants must clearly demonstrate how the learning from previous years funding will be used to adapt, develop, improve and expand the project you are apply for.
We are welcoming any application from eligible groups that can demonstrate activities or services that seek to improve the mental health and wellbeing, particularly ones that are community led. Based on local needs in East Renfrewshire we are particularly interested in projects addressing the following needs:
- Suicide Prevention
- Befriending (including one to one befriending/group befriending)
- Friendship/Social Connections
- Address the Cost of Living (whole family poverty/ mitigating child poverty)
- Additional Support Needs activities/services (16+)
There will be a continued emphasis in Year 5 on responding to the cost-of-living crisis and on those facing socio-economic disadvantage.
The fund also aims to support the groups most affected by the cost-of-living crisis, and for this reason we are particularly interested in project supporting the following groups:
- Women (16+) (including women experiencing gender based violence)
- People with a long term health condition or disability
- People from a Minority Ethnic background
- Refugees and those with no recourse to public funds
- People facing socio-economic disadvantage
- People experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage
- People with diagnosed mental illness
- People affected by psychological trauma (including adverse childhood experiences)
- People who have experienced bereavement or loss
- Older people (aged 50 and above)
- People with neurological conditions or learning disabilities, and from neurodiverse communities
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) communities
- Young people aged 16-24
This fund has a specific focus on adults’ mental health and wellbeing, in this case adults are classed as anyone over the age of 16 years old.
As in previous years, applicants are welcome to apply for one year of funding for their projects. However, for this round the Scottish Government have included the fund in their Fair Funding Pilot and have introduced the option for constituted groups/organisations to apply for a two-year funding period, subject to the continued availability of grant funding. This pilot has been set up to provide more certainty and allow for longer-term planning, aiming to improve stability and cost-efficiency for organisations and services. You can find out more information about this at: https://www.gov.scot/news/fairer-funding-for-charities/
Small grants up to £2,000. If you are applying for two year funding, the maximum you can request each year is £2,000, meaning you can access up to £4,000 over a two year period, subject to conditions
Project grants from £2,001 up to £15,000 can be applied for. If you are applying for two year funding, the maximum you can request each year is £15,000, meaning you can access up to £30,000 over a two year period, subject to conditions*
*Second year funding is subject to the following conditions:
- The value of the grant payable in year two is an indicative confirmation and cannot be taken as a guarantee: all indicative funding commitments are subject to the outcome of any spending review by the Scottish Government and approval of the annual Budget Bills by the Scottish Parliament during this period.
- Grantees will be asked to fill out an interim report after the first year, this must be received by the deadline set out in your funding agreement.
Up to £2,000 – Small Grant
Deadline: 10 AM on the 6th of October 2025 ; unless the money is fully allocated beforehand.
£2,001 up to £15,000 – Project Grant
Deadlines:
1st Deadline: 10am, Monday 14th of July 2025
2nd Deadline: 10am, Monday 25th of August 2025
3rd Deadline: 10am, Monday 6th of October 2025
For full details on all funding levels, please download the fund criteria (PDF).
Fund Guidance and Useful Resources
Please download and read the full Fund Criteria and Application Guidance documents, before applying for the fund.
Useful resources and links
Advice and Support
Please read the Funding Criteria and Application Guidance for this fund as it’s packed with information and provides answers to frequently asked questions. If you still feel you need support or have any other questions about the application process, please contact us at funding@va-er.org.uk or call The Community Hub on 0141 876 9555.