SMALL but mighty grassroots community organisations in Wiltshire are being urged to step forward and claim new funding designed to boost the county’s mental health.

The Community Grants Programme, funded by the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) Integrated Care Board, has £50,000 to award this year.

The scheme is offering grants between £2,000 and £5,000, and there is a larger funding pot of £7,500 for each local authority area for community groups with an annual turnover of under £200,000.

These grants are for organisations that rarely put themselves forward and run on energy, belief and volunteers who are holding communities together through their creativity, peer support and safe spaces.

The scheme is being delivered by mental health charity Second Step. Charity chief executive Aileen Edwards said: “We know that great mental health support often starts in our neighbourhoods – in community halls, local arts spaces, gardens, sports groups and small organisations rooted in the places people call home.

“These grants are designed to support that vital grassroots work. We are especially interested in projects that reach people who are too often excluded or overlooked. This is about helping communities grow their own strengths, connections and resilience.”

The funding aims to find community-led solutions to build people’s confidence and connection. It is part of the wider Mental Health and Wellbeing Partnership across BSW – a collaboration between Second Step, ALABARÉ, Missing Link and Nilaari.

Chief executive of Salisbury-based charity ALABARÉ Andrew Lord said: “When community-led projects thrive, people thrive. The partnership is focused on giving people and organisations the tools to empower minds and heal emotional wounds to gain positive outcomes.

“These grants are a chance to build hope, belonging and resilience across the region.”

Applications close December 12. For more information visit www.second-step.co.uk/banes-swindon-wiltshire/community-grants/