Wellbeing of Women is an established charity which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024. The charity is dedicated to improving the health of women. girls and babies to make a difference to everybody's lives today and tomorrow by providing information to raise awareness of health issues to keep women and babies well today. The charity also funds medical research and training grants, which have and will continue to develop better treatments and outcomes in the future. Since 1964, the Charity has invested more than £68 million in research to transform women’s health and wellbeing.  

The Women's Health Community Fund, which is being delivered in partnership with the health food retailer, Holland & Barratt, is designed to support small, grassroots organisations and community groups to deliver health information and support to women, girls and people from underrepresented groups. Wellbeing of Women is particularly seeking projects that address the following key points;

o Projects that aim to improve information, education and support for menstrual health, related gynaecological conditions e.g. PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, PMDD, and menopause, and/or

o Support people and groups that are often underrepresented in mainstream healthcare, information and services, for example people from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority backgrounds, LGBTQI+, people living with disabilities, deaf people, blind and partially sighted people, people experiencing homelessness, addiction, people living in areas of economic deprivation.

Small, grassroots organisations and community groups across the UK are invited to apply for a grant of between £500 and £5,000 to spend within a 12-month period. Funds will be distributed in two tranches, 50% at the beginning of the project and 50% upon receipt of a 6-month report.

Proposed activities or projects should focus on menstrual health, related gynaecological conditions and menopause. Projects should include multiple activities across the year with considerations made around its sustainability beyond the funding term.

The grant should be used for a series of activities throughout the funding period, as opposed to one large activity. Funds can support existing or new activities, but applicants should consider ongoing sustainability and address this in their application.

Funding is not available for:

o Any projects that do not meet the Charity’s objectives of reaching underserved communities.
o Projects that do not directly meet the Charity’s objectives of providing education and support on menstrual health, gynaecological conditions, menopause.
o Commercially driven or public sector organisations. Outputs should be free for users and the aims of the organisation or individual applying for funding should not be profit-making, or
o Paying salaries, including staff training or speaker fees. However, all reasonable expenses such as venue hire, light refreshments, equipment hire and speaker expenses can be covered by the grant.

Further information, guidance and an application form can be found on the Wellbeing of Women website. Organisations are encouraged to contact the Charity if they need help with completing the application form.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 19th May 2024, with successful applicants expected to be notified in mid-late June 2024.