PHP Community Impact Fund gets underway in the West Midlands

Supporting communities in the West Midlands

UKCF is delighted to be continuing its partnership with Primary Health Properties PLC (PHP) after two very successful years delivering the PHP Community Impact Fund. The impactful place-based grant programme awards grants to charities and community groups that are focused on social prescribing and community wellbeing, serving the primary care centres owned by PHP.

PHP is a Real Estate Investment Trust committed to supporting the NHS in the delivery of primary care buildings which have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities in which they are located.

Here are some examples of what has been funded through the partnership over the last two years:

2021: Scotland and Lincolnshire
Tackling men’s health project
Dementia access champion
Creative art therapy
Counselling
Parent and child/family support
Community garden workshops
Friendship groups

2022: North West and North East of England

Telephone support to tackle loneliness and isolation

Nutrition and healthy living workshops

Carers support

'Coping with cancer' group

Addiction support groups

Domestic and sexual abuse support groups

Transport and access to community activities for the elderly.

The third round of the PHP Community Impact Fund will support community groups and organisations in local communities across the West Midlands, working in partnership with Heart of England Community Foundation.

The fund will support:

• Social and charitable activities and services linked to the patients and communities of PHP tenants.

• Existing social prescribing referral services and the establishment of new services.

• Initiatives to improve the health and wellbeing of patients and communities served by PHP buildings.

• Projects which advance the education, promotion and protection of good health within the communities served by PHP buildings.

Multi-year partnerships are key to ensuring sustainable support remains in communities. Rosemary Macdonald, CEO of UK Community Foundations, commented:

We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with PHP, which is proving to be an extremely popular and much-needed grant programme supporting community health and wellbeing. Community foundations are deeply connected to the communities they serve, enabling them to provide funding for existing social prescribing programmes to be sustained and for new initiatives requiring early support.

Thank you to PHP – long-lasting partnerships like this enable us to reach further into different communities, learn from previous funding rounds and support even more local groups and charities.

Harry Hyman, CEO of Primary Health Properties, is also delighted about the renewed partnership:

Heading into the third year of this vital programme, each year has indicated the increasing need for grant funding to support the excellent work undertaken by the many charities and community groups working in the social prescribing arena.

We are looking forward to supporting the West Midlands region and working with Heart of England Community Foundation to reach those groups that are providing the social prescribing activities to our buildings, tenants and their patients.

Applications will be accepted between Monday 18^th September 2023 and Monday 13^th November 2023. For information about the necessary criteria and how to apply, visit Heart of England Community Foundation’s website here.