Community Foundation for Staffordshire and Shropshire

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Community Mental Health Fund for Adults

Grants of £1,000 to £20,000, funded through Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT), for 12-month community projects in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. This round focuses on suicide prevention for women in perimenopause or menopause who are at risk of, or experiencing, suicidal ideation or significant mental health distress, including women from under-represented communities. Projects must link with the local Suicide Prevention Action Group, have strong adult safeguarding and a crisis protocol, and must not replace NHS or council services.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £1,000 – £20,000
Closes in: 9 days left; 29 October
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Constituted voluntary or community groups, registered charities (including charities limited by guarantee) and social enterprises, established for more than 12 months with more than 12 months of accounts
Limited companies are not eligible unless also a registered charity
You must have a local connection to Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin, where the project is delivered, and clearly demonstrate it; projects can cover the whole county or cohorts in a Shropshire Council or Telford & Wrekin postcode
Essential: a bank account with at least two unrelated signatories, experience of working with women, mental health or suicide prevention, a safeguarding policy for adults at risk with a designated safeguarding lead, insurance, an EDI policy, a written crisis protocol, links to the Shropshire or Telford and Wrekin Suicide Prevention Action Group, and a project additional to statutory provision
DBS checks are needed for one-to-one work with women at risk
Funded organisations must register on the Shropshire or Telford local support directories

What it funds

12-month projects for women experiencing perimenopause or menopause who are at risk of, or experiencing, suicidal ideation or significant mental health distress, for example (not exhaustive):

Mental health and emotional support – counselling, talking therapies, trauma-informed support groups, crisis befriending, one-to-one emotional support, mindfulness and wellbeing programmes
Peer support – women-only peer support groups, lived experience networks, trained peer mentors, online or drop-in communities, peer-led workshops
Practical support – help navigating health services, advocacy, benefits and housing advice, digital access and skills, transport to appointments, signposting
Community connection – social groups, creative and cultural activities, physical activity, community cafes, women's circles, nature-based activities, volunteering
Information and awareness – community education on menopause and mental health, awareness campaigns, training for VCSE workers and volunteers to identify women at risk
Workforce development – training for frontline VCSE staff and volunteers to recognise and respond appropriately to menopausal women at risk of suicide
Eligible costs: equipment, capital, training, project, event, revenue/staff and marketing costs, and overheads up to 10% of the grant

expected outputs include walk-in and planned preventative engagements, peer support, a suicide prevention awareness event co-planned with service users, and evaluation reports at 6 and 12 months. Part funding is allowed if you show where the rest comes from.

What it will not fund

Religious projects or projects that promote religion (faith-based organisations can be funded if services are open to all)
Party political campaigning
Statutory bodies or provision, including core statutory services
Retrospective funding
Overhead costs of more than 10% of the grant requested
Existing services or costs
Clinical or medical treatment (commissioned separately through NHS pathways)
Individuals applying in their own name
Work without a clear, direct benefit to the specified cohort
Organisations established for less than 12 months
Limited companies (unless also a registered charity)

How to apply

Check your organisation meets the Foundation's core eligibility checklist and read the Community Mental Health criteria document
Register or sign in on the Community Foundation's funding portal, click 'available Funding', find this programme and click 'apply'
Complete the online form (organisation and lead contact, project, the three grant outcomes, beneficiary involvement, impact measurement, trauma-informed experience, beneficiary targets, full budget) and upload all documents, by 29 October 2026
Applications are assessed 29 October to 5 November 2026, with due diligence and possible shortlisting
A funder-advised panel of system partners including MPFT meets on 11 November 2026; notifications from 11 November and payment from 28 November 2026

you may send a video or audio file to present your proposal, with a basic application form. The Programmes Team (01743 295900) can help before the deadline. Grantees get monthly check-in calls and report at 6 and 12 months.

Have ready

Governance document (constitution, or Memorandum and Articles of Association)
Accounts: audited, independently examined or financial forecast
Bank statement no older than 3 months showing account name (matching the application), number and sort code
Safeguarding policy appropriate to working with adults at risk
Safeguarding written protocol (response to disclosures or crisis, links to NHS crisis services, safe messaging, reporting concerns to MPFT)
Equality policy
Insurance document
Quotes for capital items (the criteria PDF asks for at least three)

applications without these documents will not be considered.

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