Empowering community leaders to shape health and care
Apply now for a small grant to help bring people together, spark meaningful conversations, and ensure local voices influence the decisions that impact them.
- Are you a community leader of a voluntary organisation in south west London?
- Do you know what matters most to the people you support?
- Do you have knowledge about the health and care needs of the communities you work with?
- Can you run an engaging activity and share what you have heard to shape the future of health and care?
If so, small grants of up to £550 are available from the NHS South West London Spring Grant Fund.
What’s involved?
- Host an activity and have conversations about health and care topics
- Use your knowledge and skills to share what you have heard with NHS South West London
- Join a short NHS training session – covering how to record feedback and insight from the communities you work with and reach
- Share what you heard – complete a short feedback form and you might be invited to take part in an interview after your activity with CVS lead
- Join a listening event with NHS leaders – date to be confirmed.
This fund is flexible and its main focus is to hear form our most disadvantaged and marginalised communities.
It is up to you to decide how and when you collect insight – it could be during your event, or in the lead-up to your activity. You are funded as a community leader to help the NHS understand the experiences and views of the people you reach and support.
You are simply asked to share feedback and insight and have conversations about these topics, when possible.
You’ll also need to complete a very short form to help capture key themes along with an interview with your CVS lead.
What can you apply for?
NHS South West London would like to understand the views of people and communities on the following topics:
- Fund 1: Healthy Communities – understand what helps people living in Richmond to stay healthy and what stops people from seeking support and preventing illness. We are particularly keen to hear about attitudes towards alcohol and how this contributes to health.
- Fund 2: Digital and health – understand how technology can improve access to care and what digital barriers do people face.
Who they would like to reach
They’re particularly keen to hear from communities who often face barriers to healthcare.
If applying for a Healthy Communities Grant (Fund 1), they’d like to hear from:
- people from our most deprived areas including Ham, Hampton North, and Heathfield.
- people who have lived experience of mental health services or support
- groups supporting social connection, such as outdoor activities
- people from our health inclusion groups – including migrants and refugees, people experiencing homelessness, and people facing social exclusion.
If applying for a Digital & Health Grant (Fund 2) they’d like to hear from:
- people who face barriers using technology
- people from our most deprived areas
- people from our health inclusion groups – including migrants and refugees, people experiencing homelessness, and people facing social exclusion.
How will applications be assessed?
You can apply for more than one grant, but applications will be assessed based on:
- Reach and inclusion – how well you can reach and connect with the communities we would like to hear from.
- Engagement approach – how you plan to hold conversations and listen to insight and feedback from your communities
- Commitment to training and feedback – attendance at the training session and attending a follow-up interview with your CVS lead.
Why your voice matters
As a community leader, you understand local experiences and challenges better than anyone. You have the trust, connections, and insight to reach people in ways others can’t. By getting involved, you’ll help shape health and care services, so they better reflect the needs of Richmond residents.
Key information:
- Application deadline: 5pm on Wednesday 12 March 2025
- Funding available: up to £550 per grant
- Who can apply: community and voluntary organisations in Richmond
To find out more, join a free online information session on Thursday 27 February at 1pm – register here.
If you’d like to speak to a member of the team about the Fund, please email action@richmondcvs.org.uk.
