Which trusts fund mental health charities in the UK: the funders, what they give and how to find more

Mental health charities in the UK are funded by a small number of large trusts whose priorities include mental health, chiefly the Henry Smith Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Tudor Trust, by the National Lottery Community Fund's community programmes, and by community foundations' wellbeing funds. On 26 October 2026 OpenGrant listed 113 open, rolling and forthcoming health schemes from 55 funders, 56 of them open to charities. The smaller trusts that fund your particular kind of work are best found through the funders of your peers.

The funding picture for mental health

The charity register classifies mental health under "health / saving of lives" (purpose code 103), so OpenGrant's health theme page is the nearest filter: 113 schemes on 26 October 2026, 106 open now, 24 rolling, 22 closing within 30 days, with a median stated maximum of £30,000 and 48 schemes not stating an amount. Health is one of the most crowded causes, and many of the open schemes are NHS and research programmes rather than community grants. The charities page is the other starting point, with 396 schemes across all causes.

Three features of this field shape where to apply. First, mental health work is funded under other headings, youth, domestic abuse, poverty, older people, so a funder with no mental health programme may still fund it. Second, the largest trusts fund core costs over several years rather than projects. Third, funder strategies changed in 2025 and 2026, so a trust that funded mental health last year may be invitation-only now.

Trusts with mental health in their priorities

Henry Smith Foundation is registered under health, disability, poverty, housing and community development, awarded £61.9 million in 2024, and under its 2025 to 2030 strategy funds people through three transitions: getting started, building independence and safer futures. Mental health support runs through those, and its homepage lists 2025 funds on domestic abuse, early years parenting and young people. Only the Clergy programme (£10,000 a year or more, rolling, for Anglican clergy wellbeing) was open to general applications on 26 October 2026; how to apply to the Henry Smith Foundation explains how to track new programmes.

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation funds from £30,000 with no maximum, mostly core or unrestricted over three to five years, and accepts expressions of interest all year. Mental health work fits under A Fairer Future (children and young people's rights, gender justice, migrant justice, racial justice) and Creative, Confident Communities, though the foundation funds strategy fit rather than cause, and 5% of expressions of interest became grants in 2025. How to apply to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has the process and the exclusions, including the £100,000 turnover floor.

Tudor Trust has historically been a major funder of mental health and community organisations, with 3,674 grants published to 360Giving and a median of £60,000. Since 2025 it works through a "Change We Seek" framework and says it does "not have a traditional, written application process"; it identifies clusters of organisations through learning and ecosystem building and invites them to apply after a series of conversations. Grants run from £100,000 to £1 million, usually multi-year core. Do not send Tudor an unsolicited application; do read its ecosystem map to see whether your field is one it is resourcing.

Lottery and community funding

The National Lottery Community Fund's general programmes fund mental health projects that fit their community outcomes: Awards for All England at £300 to £20,000 lists "help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage" among the things it funds, and Reaching Communities England goes above £20,000. In Scotland, Fairer Life Chances (£20,001 to £500,000) funds projects that "help people be healthier with better access to support". See how to apply to Awards for All England.

Community foundations run themed wellbeing funds, often with NHS or council money. Dorset Community Foundation lists a Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund paying up to £5,000 for one year or £20,000 over two, with dates to be confirmed on 26 October 2026, and the Somerset Wessex Water Community Fund examples include a social prescribing programme for people with poor mental health. The Gannochy Trust's Youth Panel Fund funds youth mental health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross at up to £10,000, closing 6 November 2026; our Gannochy guide has the details. Your own community foundation's 360Giving data will show whether it runs similar funds.

What these funders typically give

Reading the published data rather than the stated bands avoids over- or under-asking:

• Tudor Trust: median £60,000, range £200 to £1.2 million, 79% of recent grants to registered charities.
• Esmée Fairbairn: 2025 main grants averaged £204,363 with a median of £195,000, half between £90,001 and £250,000.
• Henry Smith: the recent median of £2,180 reflects many small holiday grants; main programme grants have ranged to £2 million.
• Community foundation wellbeing funds: £1,000 to £5,000 in most cases, up to £20,000 over two years.

Multi-year core funding is the norm at the top of this list. Core funding for charities explains how to present a core request so that a funder can see what it buys.

How to find the trusts that fund your peers

Most mental health charities are funded by a dozen or more small and medium trusts that never appear on a list like this. To find them: run the peers lookup on your charity number, or on a comparable charity's; open each funder page for register income, typical award and recipient mix; follow the GrantNav link to read the grants; and check the funder's site for its current route in. Repeating this for three peers produces the names that recur. Trusts that publish nothing to 360Giving can still be found through the funders A to Z, where each register entry shows income, spending and purposes. Youth mental health charities should also read who funds youth charities in the UK, since BBC Children in Need and the youth programmes overlap heavily with this field.