People's Health Trust

Charity Number: 1125537

Annual Expenditure: £85.4M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £85+ million (cumulative since 2012)
  • Success Rate: Competitive (more applications than available funding)
  • Decision Time: 12 weeks from closing date
  • Grant Range: £5,000 - £50,000 (Active Communities); £20,000 - £40,000 (Nature for Health)
  • Geographic Focus: England, Scotland, and Wales (most disadvantaged 30% of neighbourhoods)
  • Total Grants Awarded: 2,682 grants since December 2012
  • Funding Source: Health Lottery (over £115 million raised)

Contact Details

Website: www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk

Email: enquiries@peopleshealthtrust.org.uk

Phone: 020 4548 0939

Hours: 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays)

Pre-application Support: Available via phone, email, or Zoom/Teams call. The Trust offers reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, including BSL interpretation and alternative application formats.

Overview

People's Health Trust was founded to address health inequalities across Great Britain, operating since 2011 with funding from the Health Lottery. The charity is registered in England and Wales (1125537) and Scotland (SC039848). With cumulative funding exceeding £85 million distributed through 2,682 grants, the Trust has partnered with over 3,500 community organisations and reached almost 800,000 marginalised people experiencing disadvantage. The charity works to ensure that where you live does not unfairly reduce the length of your life or the quality of your health. Their mission focuses on supporting communities in the most disadvantaged 30% of neighbourhoods across England, Scotland, and Wales, as measured by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). Recent strategic focus has shifted towards the Health Justice Fund, which targets the structural causes of health inequalities through specialist programmes addressing housing, employment, access to nature, and advice services.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Active Communities (Currently closed to new applications)

  • £5,000 - £50,000 over two years
  • Supports community-led projects addressing health inequalities
  • Over 100 projects currently funded; programme no longer accepting new applications

Health Justice Fund (Various sub-programmes with different opening schedules)

  • Nature for Health: £20,000 - £40,000 individual grants; £500,000 total investment for 16 projects. Requires 25% match funding. Two-year duration. Improves access to natural spaces for mental health.
  • Advice for Health: Supports organisations helping people experiencing financial and social disadvantage access advice services. Five projects awarded funding in September/October 2024. Organisations must have income under £500,000.
  • Homes for Health: Addresses unfit private and social rented homes and their effects on physical and mental health. Collaboration with housing, community, and racial justice organisations.
  • Good Work for Young People's Mental Health: Removes barriers for young people experiencing mental health problems to secure meaningful employment.
  • Partnerships for Health: Works with organisations addressing building blocks of health with potential for significant impact. Not currently open to new applications.

Priority Areas

  • Community-led solutions in disadvantaged neighbourhoods (most deprived 30% by IMD)
  • Health equity for marginalised groups experiencing discrimination
  • Projects addressing: housing quality, employment barriers, financial advice access, nature connection, social isolation
  • Support for disabled people, people experiencing racial inequity, young carers, older people, and women experiencing domestic violence
  • Focus on structural causes of health inequalities rather than individual behaviour change

What They Don't Fund

  • Projects solely addressing specific health conditions (cancer, diabetes, stroke)
  • Health promotion/behaviour change activities (healthy eating, smoking cessation, weight loss, exercise advice)
  • Projects that don't bring people together regularly (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly for at least one year)
  • Online-only networks (digital support can supplement but not replace in-person meetings)
  • Activities with intentionality to cause physical harm
  • Applications from or benefiting single individuals
  • Communities of interest where members live too far apart to meet regularly
  • Projects passing significant grant portions to other organisations for delivery
  • Profit-making organisations (including Limited Liability Partnerships and Companies Limited by Shares)
  • Tax-funded projects (NHS, school-aged children in school time)
  • Organisations with previous non-compliance records
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Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

  • John Hume - Chief Executive
  • Max Rutherford - Director of Programmes and Influencing (Deputy CEO)
  • Elaine Battson - Director of Finance
  • Susan Brown - Head of Grant Programmes
  • Lis Judge - Head of Operations

Board of Trustees

  • Jenny Edwards CBE - Chair
  • Leandra Box - Vice Chair
  • Paul Ballantyne - Trustee for Scotland
  • Shavanah Taj - Trustee for Wales
  • Andrew Bickerdike, Martin Anderson, Jolynne De Souza, Professor Elizabeth Dowler, Ranjeet Kaile, Shelagh Kirkland ACA - Trustees

Leadership Quotes

John Hume, CEO: “Health inequalities are unjust and damaging, and cost around £33bn. Only through a co-ordinated cross-government strategy will we have any chance of radically reducing the number of people dying early or spending their lives in ill health.”

“As a funder, we know that significant inequalities in health exist across the UK. Local communities are trying to stem the damage to health caused by poor quality housing, low incomes, poor quality jobs, and a lack of opportunity to socialise. At the same time life expectancy has stalled, and for the poorest in society, is now in decline. Local people will always play their part, but the responsibility for addressing entrenched health inequalities rests with our decision makers.”

“We know that discrimination gets under the skin and that it causes serious stress responses and has a damaging effect on health.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

  • Current Status: Not currently open for new funding; upcoming openings announced via website and social media
  • Process: Two-stage application process
  • Application Method: Online form with programme-specific guidance
  • Assessment: Panel of senior Trust staff make funding decisions
  • Support Available: Contact for eligibility questions and application assistance; reasonable adjustments provided
  • Geographic Check: Interactive map tool available on website to verify postcode eligibility (most disadvantaged 30% of neighbourhoods)

Decision Timeline

  • Decisions Made: Approximately 12 weeks after closing date
  • Performance: 90% of respondents received decisions within published timescale; 89% consider decision timescale reasonable
  • Notification: All applicants informed of outcome
  • Example Timeline (Advice for Health): ~1 month between stage one notification and stage two deadline; ~2 months after stage two for final decisions

Success Rates

Success rates not publicly disclosed. The Trust acknowledges they “get more requests for grants than we can fund, so unfortunately sometimes even some really good ideas cannot be supported.” This indicates competitive funding environment with demand exceeding available resources.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants not publicly disclosed. Applicants encouraged to contact the Trust directly for guidance. Feedback provided to all stage two unsuccessful applicants (verbal feedback available). Stage one applicants do not receive individual feedback due to volume.

Application Success Factors

Evidence of Disadvantage

Applications must demonstrate work with people in the most disadvantaged 30% of neighbourhoods. Include IMD rankings and evidence showing communities meet disadvantage criteria. Use the Trust's interactive map to identify eligible postcodes.

Community-Led Approach

Strong applications involve local people in development, delivery, and ongoing oversight of projects. The Trust values community power and projects where “everyday people make massive change.” As Helen from a tenant action team states: "It's about everyday people making massive change. We can only do it when we come together."

Robust Outcome Measurement

Demonstrate clear approach to measuring mental and physical health improvements. Applications should show how they will track impact and evaluate success beyond simple outputs.

Equity and Inclusion

Go beyond inclusive practice to demonstrate how the project will achieve equitable outcomes for all. Strong track record required, with clear approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion embedded in project design.

Appropriate Organisation Size

Target organisations vary by programme (Active Communities: under £350,000 annual income or less than six months' running costs in savings; Advice for Health: under £500,000). Small grassroots organisations prioritized.

Professional Credibility

For specialist programmes (e.g., Advice for Health), demonstrate suitability, professional accreditation, and track record in the field.

Strategic Engagement

Plans to engage local decision-makers (local government, NHS) and show how learning will inform advocacy work strengthen applications.

Sustainability and Partnership

For Nature for Health, match funding requirement (25%) demonstrates commitment. Partnership agreements should be in place before activity starts.

Avoid Common Pitfalls

  • Don't propose projects focused solely on individual behaviour change
  • Ensure regular in-person gatherings (not online-only)
  • Demonstrate direct delivery (not sub-contracting significant portions)
  • Show compliance capability (organisations with poor grant management history excluded)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Geographic Precision: Verify your target area falls within the most disadvantaged 30% of neighbourhoods using IMD data and the Trust's interactive map tool. Evidence of neighbourhood deprivation is essential.
  1. Community-Led Authenticity: This is a community development funder, not a service delivery funder. Applications must demonstrate genuine community leadership, involvement, and power throughout the project lifecycle.
  1. Structural Focus: Emphasize addressing structural causes of health inequalities (housing, income, employment, discrimination) rather than individual behaviour change or health promotion activities.
  1. Health Outcomes Required: While addressing social determinants, applications must clearly articulate and measure mental and physical health improvements resulting from the intervention.
  1. Small and Local is Better: The Trust actively seeks small grassroots organisations with strong local connections. Being under the income thresholds (£350,000-£500,000 depending on programme) positions you well.
  1. Match Mission Language: Use terminology around “health justice,” “health inequalities,” “marginalised communities,” “structural barriers,” and “community power” to align with the Trust's current strategic direction.
  1. Plan Ahead for Openings: Funding opens to different geographic areas at different times with specific themes. Monitor website and social media for announcements rather than expecting rolling applications.

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