North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: Variable (programme-dependent)
• Grant Range: £500 - £10,000+
• Geographic Focus: North East Essex (Colchester and Tendring districts)
• Application Method: Rolling/programme-specific through partner organisations
• Structure: Partnership body administering funds through member organisations

Contact Details

Primary Administrator: Community360

• Website: www.community360.org.uk
• Email: hello@community360.org.uk
• Funding Enquiries: funding@community360.org.uk
• Phone: 01206 505250
• Address: Winsley's House, High Street, Colchester, CO1 1UG

Alliance Information

• Email: information@community360.org.uk

Overview

The North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance is a strategic partnership established to transform health and wellbeing services across North East Essex. The Alliance brings together NHS bodies, local authorities (Colchester Borough Council, Tendring District Council, Essex County Council), and voluntary sector organisations including Community360 and CVS Tendring. Rather than operating as a traditional grant-making charity, the Alliance functions as a governance and coordination structure that administers time-limited grant programmes funded by health partners, primarily through the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (ICB). The Alliance has distributed significant funding through programmes including the North East Essex Hyperlocal Fund (£370,000+), Feel Well Funding (£485,000), and various health inequalities initiatives. These programmes are administered through partner organisations, particularly Community360 for Colchester and CVS Tendring for Tendring district.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The Alliance administers various time-limited funding programmes through its partner organisations. Recent programmes have included:

North East Essex Hyperlocal Fund

• Amount: £1,000 - £10,000 (projects exceeding £10,000 considered)
• Total Distributed: £252,018 to Colchester groups + additional funding to Tendring
• Focus: Building resilient local neighbourhoods that improve health and wellbeing
• Administration: Community360 (for One Colchester) and CVS Tendring (for Tendring Together)
• Achievement: 38 community organisations funded, with 40% being first-time applicants

Feel Well Funding

• Amount: Variable (total £485,000 available)
• Distribution: £242,500 for Colchester, £242,500 for Tendring
• Focus: Mental health and wellbeing priorities
• Administration: Community360 and CVS Tendring

Age Well and Feel Well Domain Funding

• Additional matched funding of £19,845 (Age Well) and £10,994.45 (Feel Well) alongside Hyperlocal Fund

Cultural and Creative Events Fund (Colchester City Council partnership)

• Amount: £200 - £2,000
• Total: £30,000 (£20,000 from Colchester City Council, £10,000 from NHS ICB)
• Focus: Cultural projects demonstrating health and wellbeing benefits, with priority for older people
• Administration: Colchester City Council
• Contact: culture@colchester.gov.uk

Priority Areas

The Alliance organises its work around lifecycle priorities:

Start Well

• Giving children the best start in life
• Early years health and development

Stay Well

• Supporting adults to maintain healthy, productive lives
• Access to preventative health support
• Mental health and wellbeing services

Age Well

• Supporting older people's independence
• Tackling isolation in older age groups

Die Well

• End of life care choices
• Dignified care for those approaching end of life

Cross-cutting priorities:

• Reducing health inequalities and deprivation
• Tackling loneliness and social isolation
• Improving mental health outcomes
• Suicide prevention
• Supporting people with complex mental health needs
• Hyperlocal, neighbourhood-based interventions

What They Don't Fund

As a partnership administering specific health-focused programmes, funding is restricted to:

• Projects outside North East Essex (Colchester and Tendring districts)
• Activities not demonstrably linked to health and wellbeing outcomes
• Individual beneficiaries (funding is for organisations delivering services)
• Projects not aligned with current programme priorities

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Governance and Leadership

The Alliance operates as a partnership governance structure rather than a traditional charity board.

Partner Organisations Include:

• Anglian Community Enterprise
• Community360 (C360)
• Community Voluntary Services Tendring (CVS Tendring)
• Colchester Borough Council
• Tendring District Council
• Essex County Council
• East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (formed from the merger of Colchester Hospital University NHS Trust and Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust)
• East of England Ambulance Service
• Essex Partnership University NHS Trust
• Primary Care Networks
• Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Administrative Structure:

• Community360 administers programmes on behalf of “One Colchester” (the strategic partnership for Colchester)
• CVS Tendring administers programmes on behalf of “Tendring Together”
• Funding decisions are made collaboratively through partnership structures
• The Alliance receives funding from NHS/ICB partners which it then distributes to community organisations

How to Apply to North East Essex Health And Wellbeing Alliance

How to Apply

The Alliance does not maintain a single ongoing application process. Instead, funding opportunities are announced periodically through specific programmes administered by partner organisations.

General Application Route:

• Colchester projects: Community360
• Tendring projects: CVS Tendring

Application Submission:

• Email: funding@community360.org.uk
• Post: Community360, Winsley's House, High Street, Colchester, CO1 1UG

Eligibility:

• Not-for-profit organisations
• Local community networks
• Public sector partnerships
• Organisations working in North East Essex
• First-time applicants are welcomed and supported

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by programme. Past programmes have operated on:

• Rolling basis: Some funds accepted applications on a rolling basis until funds depleted
• Fixed deadlines: Other programmes had specific closing dates
• First-come-first-served elements: Some programmes noted that they would close when funds were fully allocated

Community360 provides fundraising support services to help organisations prepare applications, suggesting that pre-application support may reduce overall timeline.

Success Rates

Based on the Hyperlocal Fund data:

• 38 organisations funded from available funds
• 40% were first-time applicants, demonstrating accessibility to new organisations
• Multiple organisations received grants ranging from £1,000 to £10,000, indicating a good spread of awards

The fact that 40% of recipients had never applied for funding before suggests that the Alliance's programmes are accessible and that application support from Community360 is effective in helping new organisations succeed.

Reapplication Policy

The time-limited nature of programmes means reapplication policies vary by specific fund. Organisations that have received funding from one Alliance programme may be eligible for other programmes, as the Alliance has administered multiple separate funds.

Application Success Factors

Funder-Specific Priorities

Clear Health and Wellbeing Outcomes:

The Alliance explicitly requires projects to demonstrate how they will “improve health and wellbeing.” Applications must show clear connections to health outcomes, not just general community benefit.

Neighbourhood-Based Approach:

The Hyperlocal Fund specifically supports “asset rich, resilient local Neighbourhoods.” Projects should demonstrate local community connections and address needs at a neighbourhood level rather than broad-based approaches.

Addressing Health Inequalities:

The Alliance's work is fundamentally about “reducing inequalities.” Successful projects explicitly address how they reach disadvantaged groups, tackle deprivation, or reduce health inequalities.

First-Time Applicant Support:

With 40% of Hyperlocal Fund recipients being first-time applicants, the Alliance clearly values reaching new organisations. Don't be deterred by lack of previous funding success – the administrators provide support to help organisations develop strong applications.

Alignment with Lifecycle Priorities:

Frame your project within the Alliance's lifecycle model (Start Well, Stay Well, Age Well, Die Well). Use this language to show alignment with their strategic approach.

Cross-Cutting Themes:

Projects addressing loneliness, isolation, mental health, or suicide prevention appear consistently across multiple Alliance programmes, suggesting these are priority areas likely to continue.

Collaborative Approaches:

The Alliance values partnership working. Applications demonstrating collaboration between organisations or sectors may be viewed favourably.

Practical Application Tips

Use Available Support:

Community360 offers “comprehensive fundraising support services including identifying potential funders and helping with funding applications.” Contact them at funding@community360.org.uk before applying.

Geographic Specificity:

Be explicit about which area of North East Essex you serve (Colchester or Tendring) and apply through the appropriate administrator.

Evidence of Need:

Projects should be grounded in identified community needs, particularly health-related needs in your specific neighbourhood or locality.

Scalability and Sustainability:

While programmes provide time-limited funding, consider how your project builds community capacity or creates lasting change beyond the funding period.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Monitor partner organisations closely: Funding opportunities are announced through Community360 and CVS Tendring rather than a central Alliance website – join their mailing lists
• First-time friendly: 40% of Hyperlocal Fund recipients had never applied before – the Alliance actively wants to reach new organisations
• Use pre-application support: Community360 provides funding support services – use them to strengthen your application before submission
• Health outcomes are essential: Every project must demonstrably improve health and wellbeing – generic community projects without health connections won't succeed
• Hyperlocal focus works: Neighbourhood-based projects addressing local needs are strongly favoured over broad approaches
• Frame within lifecycle priorities: Use the Alliance's Start Well/Stay Well/Age Well/Die Well framework to position your project
• Act quickly when programmes open: Some funds operate on a first-come-first-served basis or close when funds are fully allocated
• Geography matters: Be clear whether you're serving Colchester or Tendring and apply through the correct administrator

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

• The Harlow Health Centres Trust Limited
• People's Health Trust
• The Livewell Foundation
• Colchester Catalyst Charity
• Cheshire & Merseyside Cancer Alliance
• Stagecoach - Giving For Good
• Peter Sowerby Foundation
• Oxfordshire Community Foundation
• Essex Community Foundation
• Southwest London Health Inequalities Fund

References

1. Community360 - NE Essex Health & Wellbeing Alliance. https://www.community360.org.uk/who-we-are/ne-essex-health-wellbeing-alliance/

1. UK Fundraising - “North East Essex Hyperlocal Fund offers £370,000 to improve health and wellbeing”. https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/09/02/north-east-essex-hyperlocal-fund-offers-370000-to-improve-health-and-wellbeing/

1. The Essex Alliance - “Feel Well Funding Applications”. https://www.essexalliance.co.uk/feel-well-funding-applications/

1. Colchester City Council - “The North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance”. https://www.colchester.gov.uk/health-alliance/

1. Suffolk & North East Essex Integrated Care System - “North East Essex Alliance”. https://www.sneeics.org.uk/working-together/working-together-in-place-based-alliances/north-east-essex-alliance/

1. Colchester Gazette - “Inclusivity-focused cultural events in Colchester to receive £30k funding boost”. https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24029966.creative-events-colchester-receive-30-000-funding-boost/

1. Community360 - "Funding for Community Health & Wellbeing Projects". https://www.community360.org.uk/blog/funding-for-community-health-wellbeing-projects/

1. Colchester City Council - “Cultural and Creative Events Fund”. https://www.colchester.gov.uk/cultural-creative-events-fund/