New Adult Social Care funding opportunities 2026-27

New Adult Social Care funding opportunities 2026-27 is sponsored by Cambridgeshire County Council. Offers funding for innovative community-based projects and administration of a Local Mental Health Community Fund.

1. Adult Social Care seed funding grants 2026-27 2. Administration of a Local Mental Health Community Fund (LMHCF) Adult Social Care Seed Funding Grants for innovative community-based projects An opportunity to administer a Local Mental Health Community Fund that will enable small grants (up to £1000) to be offered to local community groups and even individuals making a difference to adult mental health.

By funding new approaches to supporting people over 18, with both their physical and mental health, as well as promoting social inclusion and addressing inequalities, these two grants are aligned with the following council ambitions: Ambition 2: enabling full, healthy lives for all Ambition 3: our priorities for ensuring fairness and opportunity wherever we can. 1.

Adult Social Care seed funding grants 2026-27 The projects funded in this way will contribute to managing demand for Adult Social Care services by supporting independence and improving outcomes for people, thus reducing health inequalities in our communities.

The amounts allocated, reflecting adult populations in each locality are: Cambridge City & South £130,000 East Cambridgeshire £35,000 Huntingdonshire £70,000 A recent independent evaluation of the impact of seed funding under the 3-year Care Together programme (23-24 to 25-26) has guided our approach, bringing recommendations which have been applied to the areas of unmet need identified and co-produced with partners.

Our commissioners have engaged with stakeholders ranging from residents and Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners to District & Parish Councillors and Health colleagues, in Integrated Neighbourhood meetings, community events and beyond. Multiple teams have contributed to the list of gaps and priorities below, which we would encourage partners to seek to address in their proposals.

Activities should be inclusive of adults from all backgrounds, that is people with protected characteristics such as, but not limited to, disability (including hearing or sight loss), diverse ethnic or religious backgrounds or lived experience of discrimination for other reasons.

Recommendations from Independent Evaluation of Seed Funding (23-26) Short-term or one-off support for those in a crisis (18+) - Improve evidence capture in a light-touch way - Use place-based learning more deliberately New offers to encourage vulnerable adults of all ages to get moving - Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Improve evidence capture in a light-touch way - Use place-based learning more deliberately Innovative solutions e.g. wearables, falls detection, medication management etc. - Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Invest in sustainability pathways Very short trips e.g. from home to village hall for social inclusion activity - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Improve evidence capture in a light-touch way - Use place-based learning more deliberately Opportunities for people from differing age groups to come together e.g. older adults with those under 18 - Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Use place-based learning more deliberately For those 18+ unable to leave home for any reason to receive regular social contact by phone, online, or in person - Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden Meaningful activity for people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism Provision of community-based activities specifically for those with Learning Disability/Autism, outside the normal working day (i.e. evenings and weekends) - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Use place-based learning more deliberately Coordination and support with access Coordinating access to community activity and opportunities specifically for adults with a Learning Disability/Autism who are ineligible for local authority funded support - Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Use place-based learning more deliberately Organisations or community groups that can work collaboratively within local communities are registered with The Charity Commission or Companies House (for Community Interest Companies) can provide a governance structure for their group (articles of association or constitution) are holders of a UK business bank account can provide policies and procedures that align with Cambridgeshire County Councils Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens as PDF) for their organisation/group can start the project within 3 months of grant award and keep the project running for at least 12 months, ideally evidencing long-term sustainability once funding ends.

The period for submission of seed funding bids was from 1 April to 4 May 2026. Notification of the outcome of seed funding bid evaluation process Successful bidders will be informed of the outcome of the moderation process and next steps / timelines for signing of agreements and commencement of activity will be agreed by end June 2026.

Those organisations that submitted an unsuccessful bid will be provided with feedback to support future applications, as well as signposting to possible alternative sources of funding, if appropriate. The names of successful applicants and a summary of the projects they will be funded to deliver will then be included on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.

Duration of the grant agreement Initially, the seed-funding agreement will be for 12 months from 1st July 2026 to 30th June 2027. However, it is hoped that seed-funding will again be made available throughout 2027-28 and beyond, pending governance approval by the council and the new unitary authorities following LGR. 2.

Administration of a Local Mental Health Community Fund (LMHCF) This is for third-party administration of four small pots of funding enabling individuals and small groups (not necessarily constituted as charities) to access up to £1000 each to support local activities positively impacting Mental Health.

The total funding available for this purpose in each locality is shown below, reflecting adult populations in each locality: City & South - £15,000 East Cambs - £4,000 Huntingdonshire - £8,000 The successful bidder will promote the fund in their area and undertake due diligence and evaluation of bids, all of which should support the Five Ways to Wellbeing, that is, evidence-based, daily actions designed to improve mental health and emotional resilience (Connect with people, Be Active, Take Notice of the moment, Keep Learning, and Give to others).

These simple steps—including chatting with friends, exercising, mindfulness, learning hobbies, and volunteering—help build happiness and reduce stress.

Organisations or community groups that: can work collaboratively within local communities are registered with The Charity Commission or Companies House (for Community Interest Companies) can provide a governance structure for their group (articles of association or constitution) are holders of a UK business bank account can provide policies and procedures that align with Cambridgeshire County Councils Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens as PDF) for their organisation/group can start the project within 3 months of grant award and keep the project running for at least 12 months Please include in your bid to manage the LMHCF your administration costs (including promotion) and the total amount to be made available for individual projects.

For example, if you are in Hunts, your organisation might take a 10% admin fee (£800), so £7,200 will be allocated for small projects, each up to £1,000 max. The period for submission of Local Mental Health Community Fund bids was from 1 April to 4 May 2026.

Notification of the outcome of LMHCF bid evaluation process Successful bidders will be informed of the outcome of the evaluation and moderation process and next steps / timelines for signing of agreements and commencement of activity will be agreed by end June 2026 with delivery commencing 1st Sept 2026.

Those organisations that submitted an unsuccessful bid will be provided with feedback to support future applications, as well as signposting to possible alternative sources of funding, if appropriate. The name of the successful bidder(s) will be included on the Cambridgeshire County Council website. Duration of the grant agreement Initially, the grant agreement will be for 12 months from 1st September 2026 to 31st August 2027.

However, it is hoped that funding will be available for the LMHCF to continue to be administered throughout 2028 and possibly beyond, pending governance approval by Cambridgeshire County Council and the new unitary authorities following LGR. Care Quality Commission assessment of our adult social care services