BBC Children in Need is inviting bids from charities running children’s mental health and early intervention projects for £1m of funding.
The Million & Me Award, which has been launched to mark this week’s World Mental Health Awareness Day, is a single stand-alone grant offered by BBC Children in Need in partnership with the Health Foundation and Impact on Urban Health.
The award aims to encourage innovative solutions for early intervention in children’s mental health and is open to bids from projects that offer targeted support to children aged eight to 13, including those from marginalised communities.
Eligible projects should offer place-based service delivery over a 24-month period, focusing on social, pre-clinical and non-medical forms of face-to-face and digital support for children.
Applicants must be registered with the appropriate charity regulator, such as the Charity Commission for England, must operate in at least two UK nations and be able to deliver its services in all four nations throughout the project’s duration.
They must also have experience of frontline delivery to children in need of mental health and emotional wellbeing support, particularly those from marginalised communities. Proven experience of delivering national projects is also required.
Young people with experience of mental health issues must also be involved in the charity’s service design, and the service must be established in and trusted by the communities it supports.
Interested organisations should attend a mandatory information session online on either 20 or 25 October, and will receive an application link following the event. The deadline for completing an application is 26 November.
The successful applicant will be confirmed via email and must begin spending the grant within 12 months of receiving this confirmation.
The award builds on Children in Need’s £10m A Million & Me fund, which was launched in 2019. It delivered 20 awards to local and digital projects by 13 charitable organisations, including Mental Health Innovations’ Shout! Helpline, Parents Network by Young Minds and Voices from Care Cymru.
Fozia Irfan, director of impact and influence at BBC Children in Need, said: “We know the power of positive relationships and early intervention and look forward to working with the successful organisation, or consortium of organisations, that will help us make an even bigger impact on the mental health of children and young people across the UK, both now and in the future.”