Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults (informally called the ‘Sunflower fund’) aims to support community-based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population (aged 16 or over), with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention. This fund has a strong emphasis on collaboration, partnerships, capacity building and the development of creative projects that can work at a very grassroots level, together with local people.
In Midlothian, the fund is overseen by a team of staff and volunteers from Midlothian Community Action, Midlothian Council, Health in Mind‘s Lived Experience Working Group, and Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership. The Lived Experience Working Group from Health in Mind assess the funding applications.
Midlothian Community Action has been appointed by the Scottish Government to distribute funding in Midlothian and ensure the fund has a strong focus on prevention and early intervention and aims to support grass roots community groups in tackling mental health inequalities. We are also asked to encourage organisations and projects to work together and to support community-based organisations with suitable easy to understand processes.
Year 5 & Year 6 Fund (2025/26)
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults will open for applications on Friday 19 September 2025.
In Midlothian there will be a total of £249,914.16 available in Year 5. Once again, the fund will be split across three grant streams:
- Micro grants up to £2,500 (min £500).
- Small grants up to £10,000
- Large grants up to £30,000
To compliment the small and large grant steams, up to an additional £5000 per organisation will also be available for capital spend.
This year, the fund is part of the Scottish Government’s Fairer Funding Pilot, offering multi-year support to help local organisations plan for the long term and deliver sustainable impact.
Year 6 of the fund is not guaranteed and is subject to Scottish Government budget approval, as the grant offer letter states: “The value of the grant payable in year 2 is an indicative confirmation and cannot be taken as a guarantee. All indicative funding commitments are subject to the outcome of any spending review by the Scottish Government and approval of the annual Budget Bills by the Scottish Parliament during this period.”
MCA will welcome applications from both one and two yearlong projects.
Please ensure you read the full fund guidance before applying.
MCA are holding an online fund surgery on Monday 22 September, to discuss any queries or expressions of interest. To book a 1:1 slot, contact magdalena.clark@MCA.scot
We’re also hosting two lunchtime information sessions all about the fund, on Wednesday 24 September and Monday 06 October.
Fund FAQs
Who can apply?
Applications will be accepted from voluntary organisations, charities, groups, clubs, consortiums and partnerships, provided they have a strong community focus for their activities. We can only fund activity that takes place in Midlothian.
The types of organisations that can apply are as follows:
- Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIO)
- Unincorporated Associations
- Companies Limited by Guarantee
- Trusts
- Not-for-profit company or asset locked company or Community Interest Companies (CIC)
- Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies
- Community Councils
- Parent councils*
*The funded activities must meet the aims of the Fund and specifically must focus on supporting young people aged 16 or over or supporting adults rather than their children.
We will consider funding un-constituted groups provided they develop their activities according to an agreed plan with MCA, which could include working with a nominated representative from a larger organisation to oversee handling and management of the funds given. An organisation can in theory apply more than once for different activities. However, we are seeking to spread the money proportionately across different priority areas and projects. Applications are preferred from organisations with a turnover below £1m.
Please see the fund guidance for more information.
How and when do I apply?
Applications open Friday 19 September 2025 at 12PM and close Thursday 31 October 2025 at 12PM.
All application forms should be sent to BOTH e-mail addresses: magdalena.clark@MCA.scot and info@MCA.scot
Application forms should be in Word Document format (.docx), do not submit as a PDF. The full submission should contain:
- Accounts or annual account of financial statements
- Constitution of your organisation or terms of reference
- Fully completed application form
We would prefer applications to be submitted digitally. If you are unable to do so, please contact us and we can advise on how to submit a paper copy. MCA will work with applicants as necessary to increase the chances of projects being funded.
Please read the fund guidance before applying.
What will the fund help pay for?
Staff costs (one-off or fixed term), equipment, venue hire, training, transport, volunteer expenses, utilities/ running costs, and capital spend (up to £5,000, small & large grant streams).
Please see the fund guidance for more information.
What is ‘A Local Information System for Scotland’ (ALISS)?
ALISS is a digital tool operated by Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (The Alliance) that allows groups and organisations to find or share information on local resources, services, groups, and support.
All organisations funded by the CMHW Fund are required to add details of your project to the ALISS database.
Learn more and watch our previous ALISS training session.
How and when will funding decisions be made?
Decisions for small and large grants will be made via a funding panel in the end of November 2025, using pre-determined marking criteria and scoring. A copy of a scoring cards is included in each application form.
Decisions about microgrants will be made in early December.
Are there logos I need to use in my publicity?
Yes. You need to add the Midlothian Community Action logo and the Scottish Government logo to any publicity/ comms. The fund should be referred to as the ‘Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults’.
You can download the required logos below:
Previous Fund Information
Below is a table of allocated funding, along with relevant documentation for the past 4 years of the fund. We have also made available the full table of beneficiaries.
Year 1 – 2021
The CMHW Fund was set up in response to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Year 2 – 2022
Year 2 of the fund sought to respond to the cost-of-living crisis.
Year 3 – 2023
Year 3 continued an important emphasis on supporting mental health and wellbeing of communities through tough times.
Year 4 – 2024
Year 4 of the fund recently closed for applications, funding decisions will be announced soon.
A-Z of Useful Links
| Link | Description |
|---|---|
| ALISS Training Session | Previous ALISS training session recording from MCA. |
| British Red Cross | First Aid and other training. |
| Business Gateway | As part of a separate scheme (not applicable to this Fund), anyone can browse the training opportunities on offer, some of which could be free and/or online. Courses are run by social enterprises across Scotland. Some are in person and not local. |
| Community Food & Health | Worth checking for links to food and nutrition related courses, some of which are free. Includes links to REHIS accredited food courses (e.g. food hygiene) and Public Health Scotland’s new weight stigma learning hub. |
| Evaluation Support Scotland | Lots of different courses related to monitoring & evaluation. Most will incur a charge, but some events are free. |
| Health in Mind | Various types of training related to mental health. Health in Mind are the main provider for suicide prevention training in Midlothian and should be your first port of call if you are looking for training input around this topic. Check that you are not duplicating if you are considering buying this in. |
| Just Enterprise | Business start-up and development support for third sector organisations and social enterprises, various topics covered. |
| Midlothian Council Communities and Lifelong Learning Courses | Various courses to boost people’s skills, help them return to learning, and gain learning credits. Courses are updated periodically. |
| Open University | Many different free online training courses that could be relevant to the work of third sector groups and organisations. |
| Scottish Association for Mental Health | Various online resources with information about mental health and wellbeing that could be useful for project development or your application. |
| Scottish Community Development Centre | Experts on all things related to community development, such as community leadership, co-production and participatory action research. Would include a fee for a half or full day. |
| SCVO | Various related to charity development and the third sector. Membership may be required and not all courses are free. Also includes a training search function across other Scottish training providers. |
| Volunteer Scotland | Volunteer development, volunteering research and Disclosure/PVG. |
You can sign up to Midlothian Community Action’s email bulletin by contacting us. The bulletin often contains links to training opportunities, as well as useful third sector updates related to Midlothian and beyond.
We also regularly run free training courses for the third sector. Some training may also be offered specifically as part of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, but you would only be contacted about this once you have received your grant and have started working on your project.
