Improving Perinatal Mental Health Care Fund

Improving Perinatal Mental Health Care Fund is sponsored by Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA). This collaborative fund offers unrestricted grants to charities, CICs, or NHS-led services tackling urgent challenges in perinatal mental health care in innovative ways.

Improving Perinatal Mental Health Care Fund | Maternal Mental Health Alliance Improving Perinatal Mental Health Care Fund We are delighted to announce a new collaborative fund offering a limited number of unrestricted grants to charities, CICs, or NHS-led services (via linked NHS charities) tackling urgent challenges in perinatal mental health care in innovative ways.

In the first year of this fund, we will be offering four grantees £15,000 each. The funds have been given to MMHA for the specific purpose of onward granting by a family trust. We are specifically looking for applications from organisations that can demonstrate lived experience leadership and aim to make perinatal mental health care both more equitable and better integrated across local and national systems.

Examples could be, but are not limited to: Peer Support Groups : Weekly community groups or 1:1 support in underserved areas led by locally trained peer support workers. Targeted Outreach to Marginalised Communities : Culturally tailored workshops, resources or engagement activities which aim to improve the perinatal mental health outcomes of those facing the deepest inequities.

Perinatal Mental Health Navigators : Mental health navigators connecting local healthcare services with mothers, birthing people and families to ensure more equitable access to local perinatal mental health support. Crisis Prevention Check-In Service : Outreach for mothers and birthing people showing early signs of perinatal mental health problems to prevent escalation of the illness and ensure more timely support.

Charities or not-for-profit organisations from the MMHA membership including local affiliates Organisations listed on the Hearts and Minds Partnership's map page including registered charities, CICs and social enterprises but excluding limited companies NHS Trusts via their linked NHS Charity. Grant applications will not make it to shortlisting unless they meet these essential criteria: 1.

A proven track record of improving perinatal mental health in your organisation or service 2.

The project/service/organisation must meet one or more of the following: Clearly demonstrates and values lived experience leadership both within governance structures and within the team Focuses on groups facing the deepest inequities within one of the MMHA’s current areas of focus: a) race, faith and culture c) complex social, emotional and financial circumstances (including poverty, addiction, and domestic abuse) Aims to improve integration between systems of care: local and/or national Additional essential criteria for NHS Trusts For NHS charities linked to an NHS Trust there are additional requirements: An NHS Charity can apply for a grant which will be processed as a Perinatal Mental Health Services Enhancement Programme (a single restricted programme) but due to statutory obligations the project aim must be to enhance and extend perinatal mental health services beyond statutory provision, including additional therapeutic capacity and patient support.

Delivery of additional clinics, therapy sessions or patient contacts Outreach or community-based perinatal mental health support Peer support or family-inclusive interventions Targeted improvements in access, equity or quality replace core NHS statutory funding be tied to commercial influence over clinical decisions be used without transparency or audit NB. Charitable funds are meant to add value, not plug routine funding gaps.

In addition to the essential criteria, we require the following from all applicants: Adherence to the MMHA Perinatal Peer Support Principles (if relevant) Clear and regularly reviewed safeguarding protocols Clear accounts and financial management systems This means you will need to confirm and briefly describe your safeguarding policies and processes, including how these are reviewed, how you manage your finances and how you are governed as an organisation.

Successful applicants would also have to: Commit to being part of a grantees/peer learning group to share insights between successful applicants of the Improving Perinatal Mental Healthcare Fund Complete a monitoring and evaluation summary at the end of the grant term Have a bank account in the organisation’s name with at least two signatories.

Expression of interest form: To apply for this grant, the first step is to complete this Expression of Interest form. If you meet the relevant criteria, you will be invited to fill in the application form. In this instance, please either complete the online application form or submit an audio application answering the questions.

If you meet the relevant criteria we will invite you to fill in the application form (or to submit an audio entry). We will share this with you via email, please note that this is not a form where you can save your progress and return to it. We strongly suggest you prepare your answers to the questions in advance and then copy them into the form.

Here is a downloadable PDF featuring the application questions so that you can prepare your answers before filling in the form.

This can be recorded on any voice memos app, or as a voicenote, downloaded then sent to us for free via WeTransfer and answers (within the word limit) to the questions in this PDF will need to be included: Note: we want to understand what you are hoping to deliver with the funding and how it best matches the criteria.

Please ensure you listen back to your audio clip before sending as we need to be able to clearly hear you or your interpreter. Additional methods of application: We will also accept a handwritten form. Please scan and send to grant@maternalmentalhealthalliance.

org or post to MMHA, International House, 12 Constance Street, London E16 2DQ Information Webinar: Tuesday 7th July 9:30am Expression of Interest Deadline: Wednesday 22nd July 5pm Applicants notified if through to application round: Monday 3rd August Application deadline: Friday 18th September 5pm Applicants notified by: Wednesday 14th October Grant duration/expected delivery: Octo ber 2026 – March 2028 Watch the below video explaining the application process.

You can also find it on YouTube here . Attend the webinar on Tuesday 7th July at 9:30am. To register for the webinar, please email grant@maternalmentalhealthalliance.

org If you are unable to attend the webinar, please email grant@maternalmentalhealthalliance. org and we can send you the recording. Improving Perinatal Mental Health Care Fund - Grant Opportunity Improving Perinatal Mental Health Care Fund FAQs Are only successful applicants emailed or will I know if my application is unsuccessful?

We will let all applicants know the outcome of their application. Are the grants unrestricted? Yes.

We believe offering unrestricted funding can enable meaningful impact for frontline services. Can an organisation apply for more than one grant? No, this is a one application per organisation process.

Can the grant be used as a contribution towards a project as well as full project funding? Yes, as long as the contribution to the project matches the criteria and it is clear what the contribution adds to the project. Can two or more organisations partner together and apply for one grant?

Yes, a partnership approach for one £15k grant is acceptable. Does annual turnover impact whether we can apply? No, turnover does not impact eligibility.

How many grants are there? Four grants for £15,000 each How will the application be assessed and by who? The application will be assessed on how well the application matches all the criteria.

The assessment panel will include MMHA staff, an MMHA lived experience champion and representatives from the family trust who have gifted the MMHA this funding to distribute. They will make the final decision. We apply weighting to the assessment to ensure we prioritise projects that most closely align with the aims of this fund, particularly lived experience leadership, equity, and system integration.

We are not a registered Charity or CIC. Can our organisation apply? Unfortunately not for this round of funding.

Work that does not meet the criteria provided Responsibilities of statutory agencies Work that will take place outside the UK What will the grant term be? Grant duration/expected delivery: October 2026 – March 2028 What will the monitoring and evaluation summary involve? There will be an evaluation form to complete at the end of the grant duration to capture what has been delivered, the impact and any learnings.

The form will be shared with the grantees at the start. The light touch monitoring will be decided with the grantee based on the application. What will the peer learning group involve?

Attending 4 online group meetings (90mins) with the other grantees, sharing insights, learnings and being a supportive and critical friend for each other. The group will decide how best to communicate e.g. emails, WhatsApp, SLACK etc Will I be given any support by the MMHA?

Yes, you will be offered meetings with the Director of Engagement every other month as well as the offer of general support/sounding board etc. If you have any questions, please email grant@maternalmentalhealthalliance. org