About the Fund
The Mental Health Support – Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) program supports charities helping children, young people, and parents overcome trauma from ACEs through evidence-based, trauma-informed interventions. ACEs include sexual abuse, physical/emotional abuse or neglect, domestic violence exposure, parental substance abuse or mental illness, bereavement, and parental imprisonment.The program has two focus areas:1) Support for children and young people primarily affected by ACEs, using trauma-informed therapies targeting specific ACEs;2) Support for parents addressing their own ACEs or mental illness/substance abuse to prevent harm to their children, via whole-family trauma-informed programs.
EligibilityWe welcome applications from UK registered charities that work either regionally or nationally and:
- Have as their key focus preventing and/or reducing the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – helping children and young people, and parents and caregivers – see the definition of ACEs above.
- Use trauma-informed approaches and evidence-based interventions
- Are actively patient led in shaping, running, and improving their services
- Can demonstrate real impact through their own evaluations or independent research
- Have an annual income of less than £20m and at least 5 years’ audited or independently examined accounts
Grant Details
Grants of up to £25,000 per annum are available, with a typical grant value of £10,000 – £15,000 over a 12-month period. In the Mental Health programme, funding is usually awarded for one year, but occasionally funding for up to three years is offered. The funding is flexible and can contribute towards overall service delivery or specific projects.
How to apply
- Eligibility Checker: Use the Foundation’s online eligibility tool.
- Expression of Interest (EOI): Complete a brief EOI via the online application platform.
- Invitation to Full Application: If the EOI matches priorities and has a high likelihood of success, a Full Application is invited.
- Submit by Deadlines: Follow the published timeline for each round (e.g., early Jan–early Feb for the next 2026 round).
- Board Review: Decisions are made at scheduled Board meetings several times per year.
Deadlines:
- Grant round opens on 05/01/2026
- Expression of Interest submission deadline: 06/02/2025 (17:00 hrs)
- Full Application invitations will be sent in the w/c 16/03/2026
- Full Application submission deadline: 24/04/2026 (17:00hrs)
- Full Application outcomes: w/c 22/06/2026
Find out more Visit the funders website
