Merseyside Play Action Council
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Merseyside Play Action Council's stated eligibility is third sector organisations in Liverpool, and its work centres on play, youth provision and holiday activities and food, so a Liverpool group running those kinds of services fits best.
- The grant range is not stated, so the size of a request is hard to judge from the published information; its total annual giving of £248,000 shows the scale of the funder's overall budget, not what an individual grant looks like.
- No application process is published, so the contact shown on its website or in the annual report is the practical first step, and it is worth asking about the process and typical grant sizes before writing a request.
- Decisions for its main programme, Holiday Activities and Food, are supported by a steering group representing different sectors across the city, but the annual report and website do not say how competitive awards are, so organisations outside Liverpool should not expect to meet its stated eligibility.
Overview
Merseyside Play Action Council is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1048263).
Merseyside Play Action Council is a charity that supports youth and play organisations to become better governed, managed and resourced. Its main role is to act as a conduit for grant aid to eligible third sector organisations in Liverpool, most notably through its Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) contract with Liverpool City Council and the Department for Education. In its most recent reported year it gave £248,000 in grants to institutions, according to the Charity Commission register.
What they fund
Priority Areas
MPAC strengthens play and youth provision across Merseyside by supporting organisations, engaging children and young people, and connecting providers. It helps play and youth organisations become better governed, managed and resourced, building a resilient, collaborative and responsive sector. Its grant aid goes to eligible third-sector organisations in Liverpool, most notably through the Holiday Activities and Food programme. Through HAF, organisations help provide holiday activities and food for children eligible for benefits-related free school meals, alongside nutritious meals and wider family support. MPAC describes its Liverpool providers as mainly locally based voluntary-sector groups and says it works with them to help sustain and develop their organisations.
Themes
- Play and youth provision
- Holiday activities and food
Geographic Focus
Liverpool. Priority: Merseyside.
How to apply
No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.
Who can apply:
- Eligible third sector organisations in Liverpool
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- The HAF Steering Group, representing different sectors across the city, supports grant decisions before each programme.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- Liverpool
- Merseyside
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Merseyside Play Action Council.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2021 | £586,202 | £532,380 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2021 |
| year to 31 March 2022 | £750,017 | £564,506 | £279,885 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 29 March 2023 | £1,199,802 | £1,027,436 | — | Accounts for year to 29 March 2023 |
| year to 29 March 2024 | £2,002,640 | £1,683,094 | — | Accounts for year to 29 March 2024 |
| year to 29 March 2025 | £727,885 | £908,977 | £248,000 | Accounts for year to 29 March 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2022; year to 29 March 2025: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- merseyplay.com
- merseyplay.com/about-us · read on 30 October 2026
- merseyplay.com/news/mpac-to-deliver-liverpools-holiday-activities-and-food-programme-from-summer-2026 · read on 30 October 2026
- merseyplay.com/contact-us · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 29 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Merseyside Play Action Council?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
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Applying to Merseyside Play Action Council?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required