Public Health Authority/NIAMH/Comic Relief: Change Your Mind Small Grants Scheme

Overview

The CHANGE YOUR MIND campaign partners have identified funding to address the themes of stigma, recovery, connectedness and conversations. As such they are inviting organisations to apply for small grants to address the outlined themes.

• To create meaningful conversations about mental health and mental health stigma
• Reducing stigma (both self-stigma and external stigma)
• Making positive connections with friends, family and colleagues
• Encourage people to seek help if they feel the weight of stigma
• Raising awareness of the negative impact of stigma

Two types of awards are available under this scheme.

Award One

• Grants up to £500 (individuals / non-constituted and constituted non-profit taking community / voluntary sector groups).

Award Two

• Grants up to £1,000 for constituted, non-profit taking community / voluntary sector groups (you have adopted a constitution and / or articles and memorandum of association).

The campaign is keen to fund programmes founded on evidence based practice such as those using one or more of the ‘Five Steps to Wellbeing’, which suggest that emotional wellbeing can be improved by building the following into our daily lives:

1. Connect
2. Be active
3. Keep learning
4. Give to others
5. Take notice
   

Assessment Criteria for both Awards

Applications for both awards will be assessed using the following criteria:

1) Extent to which the application meets funding aims:

• To create meaningful conversations about mental health and mental health stigma
• Reducing stigma (both self-stigma and external stigma) and improving mental health
• Making positive connections with friends, family and colleagues
• Encourage people to seek help if they feel the weight of mental health stigma
• Raising awareness of the negative impact of stigma

2) The level of community involvement including how the need for this project was identified at community level.

3) Applicants MUST evidence how their project is informing how a specific issue is being addressed. This should be addressed by outlining;

• Realistic and achievable aims, objectives and outputs.
• Projects that contribute to models of good practice and evidence of effectiveness.
• Projects that clearly outline how the project will be monitored and evaluated.
• Value for money / Reasonableness of costs
• Previous experience

Please note: Management and administration of previous awards funded through this stream will be taken into account.

Examples of what they will fund:

• Existing staff costs may be considered where work undertaken is in addition to current duties and where monies are not currently being received from another funder for the provision of same. You must provide a rationale / calculation of how the figure was reached e.g. number of hours x hourly rate and guarantee that this does not represent double funding or duplication of an existing service.
• Transport to local facilities which is essential for the delivery of the programme up to £50
• Catering costs up to £50
• Venue hire will be considered where applicants can justify the need for external / additional premises;