Work and Health Grants for Leeds VCSE sector

Applications now open – closing 8 July 2025

Please read the guidance document in full before completing the online application form.

Contact [email protected] with any queries.

Timeline:

Applications open 16 June 2025.
Open for 3 weeks – an FAQs document is available.
Applications close at 5 PM on Tuesday 8 July 2025.
Applications will be processed as quickly as possible, we intended that decisions will be made, and funding agreements issued by week commencing 4 August 2025.
Delivery can begin in August or September
All activity must be completed by 31 March 2026.

This is our anticipated timeline but may be subject to change, except the end date for all activity which is set by the government.

Please note, Forum Central has not yet received confirmation of source grant funding from Leeds Local Authority. Therefore, although the fund is open to applications, no awards will be made until the funding is received. Unfortunately neither Forum Central nor Leeds City Council can accept liability for any costs incurred should the grant fund not progress and reserves the right to withdraw the intention to offer a grant until the agreement is in place.

How to apply:

Please read the guidance document in full as this will help inform your application.
Complete the online application form – you may want to save and work on your answers in a document before pasting them into the form incase it doesn’t save your progress (it should save it if you are logged into a google account).
Email [email protected] with copies of your Policies as listed in the form, along with the completed Annex 1 document.

Application form and guidance:

Guidance VCSE Work and Health Trailblazer Grants_V2_170625 (word document download)

Application form: VCSE Work and Health Trailblazer Grant Fund 2025-26 (google form, no sign in required)

Annex 1 – Projected outputs and outcomes (spreadsheet download)

FAQs (word document)

About the fund – supporting people to be closer to work

This funding is specifically for locally rooted Leeds community organisations who support people who have significant health conditions and are economically inactive to start to progress them towards employment.

Projects must show how they will increase participants’ confidence and self-esteem and inspire them to take the first steps into accessing support in safe and trusted environments. They should motivate participants to grow in confidence, ambition, resilience and develop new skills.

Activities should also connect residents with supportive community networks as they progress towards and into other activities such as, further learning, volunteering and employment. All inventions should have a focus on moving people closer to the labour market through improved health and wellbeing.

This is part of the Work, Health and Skills Agenda and in line with the WYCA (West Yorkshire Combined Authority) Work, Health and Skills Plan.

Who can apply

Groups who apply must be properly constituted VCSE organisations or groups.

Size of grants

The fund will be split into two grant sizes. Proposals are sought for projects at a value of:

£15,000 to £50,000
£51,000 to £100,000

Target groups

Proposals must target Leeds residents with a health condition or disability who are not in paid employment. This includes those who are classed as ‘long-term sick’ and those from ethnically diverse communities more susceptible to incidences of ill health.

We will prioritise applications which address the following issues and expect that 50% of the fund will go to projects addressing these 3 conditions:

CVD, respiratory, digestive, diabetes
Musculoskeletal
Mental health

There are many other factors which impact on economic activity. The remaining 50% of funds will be targeted on projects addressing these other factors – details of these population groups is in the guidance.

Further information

Detailed information about eligible activities, project costs and reporting requirements can all be found in the guidance document.

If you need the guidance document or application form in another format or have any problems please let us know by contacting [email protected].

Webinar slides:

Engagements and online information sessions were held in anticipation of this funding becoming available. Here are some of the slides and documents which were shared for further background information: