Mental Health Scale Up Fund

In recognition of an unprecedented level of need for support for young people’s mental health in Surrey the Community Foundation for Surrey launched a new fund in 2021 based on the following:

• Identification of a need for step change in provision. This Fund will provide funding of up to £50,000 per year for up to 5 years in the first instance.
• Desire to grow and develop programmes that can evidence they are working in young people from birth up to the age of 30.
• Stop the ‘postcode lottery’ – help should be available to all who need it in Surrey when and where they need it.
• We would like to support wrap-around support for the long-term, that grows and develops as the needs of the young person and their family change over time – including organisations with differing expertise working together in partnership or in a collaborative model.
• CFSurrey funding supports community groups, charities, and other members of the VCSE sector but not the public sector or private companies. See eligibility criteria.

Round 3 open for applications November 2023.

Deadline for Expressions of Interest – 9am on Monday 5th February 2024 

Funding Priority – Perinatal and pre-school support. See attached for more info on funding criteria.
We particularly want to fund projects which demonstrate clear, measurable impact in young people and have the ability to scale up to reach:

• More beneficiaries, or,
• Beneficiaries in cohorts that are experiencing particular challenges in mental health, or,
• Beneficiaries that struggle to access support, or,
• Beneficiaries across a wider geographic area.

As part of scoping our Fund we commissioned a major listening exercise to hear from stakeholders, the report – Community Foundation for Surrey Mental Health Scale Up: The Listening Phase – makes stark reading and highlights some key strengths of current provision, as well as some barriers we will need to overcome if we are to achieve our aim of making a step-change in provision. We are well aware that the listening must continue throughout our programme if we are all to learn together how to better support young people’s mental health.

We are delighted to report that we have now made three grant awards from the Fund. Each five- year grant will support the development and expansion of vital support for young people. 

• Surrey Care Trust – Nurture through nature
• Be Me Project – Courses for young people
• Eikon Charity – Primary school mental health

Interested in becoming a donor?

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* Reference: Ref. Surrey Heartlands, Children and Young People Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Local Transformation Plan 2021-22)