The second round of a fund to support community-based projects that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing opens today (Monday September 12) across Dumfries and Galloway.
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund will help tackle issues on the path to recovery from Covid, such as suicide prevention, social isolation, and loneliness.
There will be a particular focus on supporting small ‘grass-roots’ community groups and organisations. Projects will support those aged 16 and over.
A total of £445,026 is available in Dumfries and Galloway.
The first funding stream will distribute smaller grants up to £3000 with a final deadline of October 14.
A second will target larger projects up to £50,000 with a deadline of October 28. A panel of people with lived experience will review the larger grant submissions and advise on suitable projects. Those successful will then be invited to submit a full application by January 20.
Ninety-one community organisations across the south of Scotland shared funding in the first round earlier this year.
The fund in the south of Scotland is administered again by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG).
Norma Austin Hart, TSDG Chief Operating Officer, said: “We talk to the charities working in Dumfries and Galloway to support people with mental health challenges. They tell us that the effects of the pandemic and now the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis create a huge need for local projects to work with people at grass roots level.
“This fund will be a flexible source of funding for these projects and we will be working hard with community groups and charities to put in applications, which will make a difference.”
The fund is open to all groups, no matter how small or inexperienced they are. National organisations with initiatives in the local area are not excluded but are not the main focus.
Organisations do not need to have mental health and wellbeing as their sole objective but, as this is the purpose of this Fund, their application should clearly outline how it benefits the mental health and wellbeing of people in their community.
Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership Chief Officer Julie White said: “The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has the ability to make transformative contributions to work being undertaken at a grassroots level to address mental health inequalities within Dumfries and Galloway.
“Many community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations within our region have already benefited from an initial round of funding, which has supported them to take forward projects addressing issues such as social isolation and suicide prevention.
“Round Two of The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund can support further advances in these areas and represents a fantastic opportunity for our region.”
A series of online Webinars and Outcomes Sessions are being held to assist potential applicants.
For more about Round 2 and the application form, go to TSDG’s website at www.tsdg.org.uk
