The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults is now open for its fifth round of applications in Dumfries and Galloway.
A total of £439,150 has been made available by the Scottish Government to support grassroots groups and organisations across the region in delivering initiatives that enhance mental wellbeing, reduce inequalities and strengthen community resilience.
A key change this round is the option for organisations to apply for two-year projects, an innovation made possible under the Fairer Funding pilot, which aims to provide increased stability and more ambitious planning possibilities.
The overarching aim of the Fund is to support community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population (aged 16 or over), with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention.
Local priorities for Dumfries and Galloway are social isolation and loneliness; suicide prevention; and poverty and inequality, with a particular emphasis on responding to the cost-of-living crisis and support to those facing socio-economic disadvantages.
Full details on the fund are available at the website www.tsdg.org.uk/cmhwf/.
Eligible applicants include charities, community groups, SCIOs, CICs, cooperatives, community councils, and others.
Grants are available either as one-year or two-year projects:
- Small grants: up to £10,000 per year (one-year) or up to £20,000/year over two years.
- Main grants: between £10,000 and £35,000 per year for one-year projects; or £20,000 to £70,000 per year for two-year projects.
Eligible project costs include one-off events (one-year projects only); hall hire for community spaces; staff costs (these should be one-off or fixed term); training costs; transport; utilities/running costs; volunteer expenses; and small capital spend up to £5,000.
The application deadline is 12 noon on Friday 24 October and decisions will be announced by end of January 2026. Projects may begin no earlier than 1 April 2026. All applications will be evaluated by an independent scoring panel.
Established in 2021, the fund has so far allocated over £66 million throughout Scotland for diverse community-based mental health and wellbeing projects. In March 2025, the Scottish Government confirmed funding at £15 million per year for both rounds five and six, enabling greater impact and sustainability.