Funding for peer support projects in 9 pilot areas (including Northamptonsshire)

Does your organisation run activities where people with mental health problems support each other (peer support*)?

Do you work in one of Mind’s 9 pilot areas? Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Leeds, Coventry and Warwickshire, Lancashire, Southampton and New Forest, Devon, Teesside, London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and London Borough of Westminster

As part of the wider Peer Support programme, Mind wants to make grants to organisations that want to offer peer support to more people, and work with them to build an evidence base for the effectiveness of peer support. Here’s the key info:

         45 grants of between £5,000-£15,000

         40% of funds for activity by and for people living in rural communities and people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities

         Funded activity must take place between Oct 2015 and Oct 2016

For more info, and to apply, please visit the Mind website

* ‘Peer Support’ means different things to different people. For the purposes of this programme, Mind are looking to fund activity that is led by people with experience of mental health problems, where support is both given and received, with the outcome that people feel better able to manage their mental health (although there may be other outcomes too!)

What might this look like? Peer support comes in different shapes and sizes, here are a few examples:

         MindOut in Brighton run groups where lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people can share their experiences, problems and stories with each other.

         Sound Minds offer peer support as part of Mama Low’s kitchen in South London.