What are Wellbeing Grants?
From 1st October 2023 to 30th September 2024, all new grants approved will be enhanced with an additional grant, dedicated solely to wellbeing activity for staff and volunteers (including Trustees). No application form is required, but we ask grantholders to restrict the funds to this purpose, and to provide a brief report on the activity and its impact. At the end of this period we will evaluate the impact and learning and agree how to proceed. Please note that wellbeing grants will not be applied to grants made to second-tier organisations or to any payments made to organisations whose purpose is not entirely charitable. In certain other cases, we may also be required to exercise discretion and will communicate this to the grantholder.
This trial is based on the findings from a small pilot conducted in late 2022. Scroll down for more information about how wellbeing grants have been used and how they have benefited organisations so far.
How have wellbeing grants been used so far?
- Food hampers and a gift voucher for all staff and volunteers.
- A wellbeing afternoon, with relaxation sessions, food and chat.
- Recognition gifts for volunteers.
- A celebration/networking/learning event, including room hire and a nice lunch.
- A meal for volunteers to celebrate achievements and connect with each other away from the work of volunteering.
- A team visioning day for people to share challenges they encounter during the course of their work.
- Waterproofs for volunteers who couldn’t afford to buy their own and were getting cold and wet during bad-weather sessions.
Feedback from wellbeing activity
- People said it really helped at this time of year (before Christmas).
- People felt recognised for all their hard work.
- Ideas were generated about how future support and resources could be organised and made more central to how the organisation works, and supports its people.
- The process of deciding what to do with the grant created a real buzz and sense of pride amongst staff/volunteers.
- Conversations were sparked around wellbeing more generally, recognising how important it feels for colleagues to all come together at regular opportunities.
- Volunteer support is being looked at again – resources being ringfenced to ensure this has higher profile within an organisation.
- People found they had the chance to look at how individuals in the staff group wind down and de-stress, such as physical exercise, self care or taking a break in the countryside.