The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) is a partnership between the organisations that meet health and care needs across Mid and South Essex. They are a partnership of NHS, social care, wider local authority and voluntary services. They plan and deliver joined-up services to improve access and quality and to reduce health inequalities.
The Strategy and Partnership Directorate is supporting the NHS Alliances, working in Mid Essex, Brentwood and Basildon, and South East Essex, by providing funding to support a wide range of projects and programmes that will tackle health inequalities and the wider determinants of health.
As part of this, a programme to offer micro grants between £500 and £1500 to small-scale voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector organisations who wish to undertake projects or initiatives, which address health inequalities and the wider determinants of health, is open for application.
The microgrants scheme will be open for application until 28th February 2025, and the funds may be spent between the issuing of the grants and 31st of August 2025.
To recognise the incredible contribution by small voluntary and community groups in responding to health inequalities in Essex, the health and care system in mid and south Essex would like to help these types of projects further.
The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System is delighted to announce a new microgrant programme, which will support projects or initiatives that address health inequalities and the wider determinants of health within your local area. Health inequalities refers to differences and outcomes in the care that people receive and the opportunities that they have to lead healthy lives.
Health inequalities grants could therefore be focused on reducing differences in:
· Health outcomes, for example, life expectancy
· Access to care, for example, availability of given services
· Quality and experience of care, for example, levels of patient satisfaction
· Behavioural risks to health, for example, smoking rates
· Wider determinants of health, for example, quality of housing, employment, environment, training and education
· Health literacy and digital inclusion, for example support for individuals to ac-cess, understand and use health information
· Groups that may experience poorer health outcomes due to:
- socio-economic factors, for example, income, level of deprivation,
- geography, for example, region or whether urban or rural,
- specific characteristics including those protected in law, such as sex, ethnicity, or disability,
- being socially excluded groups, for example, people experiencing homelessness.
Any small-scale voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector organisations who come together to support tackling health inequalities within the communities across Basil-don, Braintree, Brentwood Castlepoint and Rochford, Chelmsford, Maldon, Wickford, and Southend.
How to Apply
· Confirm you meet the criteria
· Apply online here or email funding@community360.org.uk to request an application form.
Your application will then be reviewed at a panel which takes place once a month, if successful you will be notified and the grant awarded.
Interim monitoring required on by end of April 2025 and final reports no later than end of Au-gust 2025 to share outcomes and impact of the project.
If you would like to access support to complete your application, please contact: Funding@community360.org.uk