Worcestershire County Council

Community Wellbeing Grants

One-off grants of up to £3,000 from Worcestershire County Council's Public Health team for community groups and small not-for-profit organisations running new or expanded community projects that improve health and wellbeing in Worcestershire. Grant strands cover youth activity and crime prevention, physical activity, pregnancy, early years and families, staying connected (loneliness), healthy eating and nutrition, community resilience to local risks, and community creative health. Projects must meet an identified local need, reduce health inequalities and show how the benefit will last after the grant ends. You apply through a short online form at any time.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £3,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Light; short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

Organisations running projects in Worcestershire: registered community organisations, charities, third-sector not-for-profit organisations, town and parish councils, and affiliated sports organisations
Applicants must have a bank account in the organisation's name, and the form asks for an organisation registration number
Private companies and individuals cannot be funded
The Creative Health strand says projects must be delivered with or through a community organisation 'such as a CIC, CIO or similar'
Artists and creatives cannot apply on their own but can contact the team to be connected with a partner organisation
If you have had a Public Health grant before, you must return the evidence for it before a new application is progressed
The form also asks whether annual turnover is over £100,000 and what other Worcestershire County Council funding you have had this financial year; the council does not say these are exclusions

What it funds

One-off grants to create new, or expand existing, community-based projects, either by reaching new groups or by introducing fresh activities that respond to identified local needs. Projects must contribute to reducing health inequalities and improving health and wellbeing, address a specific community need, and engage local residents, ideally through co-production. They must also be sustainable, meaning the impact lasts beyond the funding. The council's form says this should generally not include venue hire, staff costs, refreshments or other time-limited expenses. Grant types:

Youth Activity and Crime Prevention (sports programmes, creative arts and wellbeing workshops, mentoring and personal development for young people at risk of crime, anti-social behaviour or County Lines)
Physical Activity (walking groups, sports clubs, active travel, especially for older adults and disabled people)
Pregnancy, Early Years and Family (play sessions, parenting support and family wellbeing activities, linking with Family Hubs where possible)
Stay Connected (coffee mornings, creative workshops and intergenerational activities to reduce loneliness and isolation)
Healthy Eating and Nutrition (for example community cooking programmes and food co-ops)
Community Resilience for Wellbeing (resilience to risks in the West Mercia Community Risk Register such as excess cold or heat, flooding, water safety, utility outages, wildfires and pandemics)
Community Creative Health (arts, crafts, nature-based activities, dance, literature, performance, culture or heritage to improve wellbeing, delivered with or through a community organisation
Not for individual artistic development)

Creative Health grants give priority to rural areas, Public Health Priority Neighbourhood Development areas and underserved communities.

Organisations may be funded more than once in a financial year if they have sent satisfactory evidence of delivery and impact from earlier grants.

What it will not fund

Purchases made before funding is confirmed
Activities that promote political beliefs or are designed to impose religious beliefs on others
Ongoing organisation core costs, e.g. staff
Activities where funding has already been secured
Payments to individuals
Privately owned businesses
Organisations whose aims do not match the council's
Anything that discriminates against individuals or organisations
Anything that promotes illegal or immoral purposes
Significant capital expenditure
Continuation of any earlier grant initiative or programme the council has previously funded
Pooled funding arrangements with other funders (generally not entered into)
Individual artistic development (Creative Health strand)

How to apply

Optionally, contact the Public Health team at hwbadmin@worcestershire.gov.uk to discuss your project before applying
Complete the online 'Apply for a Community Wellbeing Grant' Microsoft Form: organisation details and registration number, grant type, amount (up to £3,000), any Worcestershire County Council funding this financial year, how you will spend the funding and the health and wellbeing outcomes, how the impact will be sustained after the grant, and which community groups the project supports
After the project, share short videos, photos and participant quotes showing its impact on health and wellbeing, with consent from anyone featured

Rolling; no deadline is published.

Evidence from any previous Public Health grant must be returned before a new application is progressed.

Have ready

Online application form

No attachments are requested at application. Impact evidence (video, photos, quotes) is provided after delivery.

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