£3.3 million fund opens to support mothers & babies from deprived or BAME backgrounds
Melanie May | 25 August 2020 | News
The Government has opened a £3.3 million fund for charities in England working with mothers and babies from deprived or BAME backgrounds.
The money is available through the Health and Wellbeing Fund, which is now in its third round, and is run by the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance. This round will pay for three-year projects run by voluntary and community social enterprises.
The fund is aimed at helping community projects aimed at improving outcomes for mothers and babies in deprived areas or from BAME backgrounds from preconception to up to 2-and-a-half years of age, such as those aimed at:
- improving perinatal mental health
- reducing the percentage of babies born with low birthweight
- increasing babies being breastfed
- obesity prevention and support
- reducing smoking or encouraging smoke-free homes
- improving learning, speech and language development
- improving immunisation rates and reducing rates of preventable disease
Public Health Minister Jo Churchill said:
“Everyone deserves to live a long, healthy life, and we’re determined to reduce the inequality that some families face. We’re committed to start this work from birth, and the voluntary sector has an enormous role to play in its success. This year we have launched the Health and Wellbeing Fund which is centred around starting well, to make sure mothers have the help they need to make the right decisions to support their health, and the health of their babies.”
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The £3.3 million is available to support the new schemes in 2020/21, with funding for schemes planned for a further two years up to 2022/23.
Applicants have until Friday 30 October 2020 at midday to apply, and successful projects will be announced in December.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.