Introduction:
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has made available a £4 million Suicide Prevention Fund to support voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations that work to prevent suicide. the funding, applied for on a competitive basis. The funding is only available to support the delivery of suicide prevention activities in England.
Background and funding priorities:
The strategic objectives of the fund are:
- service provision: to support suicide prevention VCSE organisations to meet the increased need or demand for suicide prevention services because of the pandemic
- to support service provision particularly to people considered to be at a higher risk of suicide, through the work of the diverse range of suicide prevention VCSE organisations and enhancing service provision to high-risk groups
The fund will prioritise applications from organisations who:
- focus on high-risk groups
- provide services in areas with higher rates of suicide
- can demonstrate that the activity meets the aims of the grant fund
What can you use the funding for:
Eligible costs are:
- business expenditure, such as staff salaries, appropriate volunteer expenses and fixed or operational costs related to the activity
- rent
- utility costs
- insurances
- facility or equipment hire
- core staffing costs (including casual workers) that cannot be met elsewhere by other government funds (for example, furlough scheme)
- equipment which is not capitalised and crucial to delivery of activities – for example, items to ensure compliance with public health requirements or a new phone to support a suicide prevention helpline
The value of funding available:
You may apply for the lower of either:
- Cap 1: the value of eligible activities from April 2021 to March 2022 – the funds can be backdated to cover activities from April 2021,
- Cap 2 (if applicable): 25% of annual income (proportion relating to England only)
- Cap 3 (if applicable) is applied to Micro-organisations and groups are limited to a maximum award of £5,000 from the ring-fenced pot of money.
- This calculation represents a cap – if successful, the actual amount awarded may be lower depending on a range of factors, including availability of funds.
- Funding requests should also take into consideration value for money.
- All awarded funding must be spent by 31 March 2022.
How to apply:
- You can apply by complete an application using the online portal .
- A specialist panel will decide who the funding should be awarded to. Interested applicants are encouraged to read the grant terms and conditions, before submitting their application Cabinet Office’s general grant standards.
- The aims is to begin awarding applications as soon as possible and within approximately 4 weeks following the closing date of applications.
Is there a deadline:
Applications are open until 16 January 2022 and application guidance is available (now closed).
If you need further support:
- Contact DHSC at uk_suicide_prevention_fund@pwc.com or call 0113 289 4424 for further support.
- You can also get guidance and support on the application process by watching the launch webinar: Suicide Prevention Fund launch webinar.
Further support and advice from RVA:
If you would like advice on funding applications or getting ready for funding, including governance requirements and policies that are needed, please contact Herjeet at herjeet.randhawa@rva.org.uk or telephone 0118 937 2273 for free and independent support and advice.