Our projects
Community Health Stories Small Grants Programme 

Community Health Stories Small Grants Programme 

LGBTQ+ Communities and/or Young People 18-25  

There is strong evidence that the voices of both LGBTQ+ communities and young people aged 18-25 are often missing from health and care planning. There will be a further impact for people who are both LGBTQ+ and aged 18-25. Their lived experiences of accessing services, understanding information, and getting the right support are not routinely captured in a way that leads to meaningful change. As a result, services can fail to meet people’s needs, and individuals can feel unheard, disengaged, or mistrustful of health and care systems. 

We have created this small grants programme to support grassroots voluntary and community organisations in Wolverhampton to capture meaningful stories from LGBTQ+ communities and young people aged 18-25 about their experiences of health and care. The focus is on creating safe, welcoming and trusted spaces where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences, ensuring their voices directly inform future service planning and delivery. 

The programme has two priority strands: 

• LGBTQ+ communities
• Young people aged 18-25 

The funding is intentionally flexible. Organisations can use the grant to design activities that work for their community and help participants feel safe and confident sharing their stories. This could include workshops, creative sessions, discussion groups, social activities, or one-to-one conversations. The emphasis is on trust, engagement, and lived experience rather than formal research. 

The number of stories captured should be proportionate to the amount of funding awarded, with an expectation of a minimum of 15 stories for a £5,000 grant. If applying for a smaller grant, the expected number of stories will be proportionately reduced. While we have set an expected number of stories, the focus is on capturing high quality, meaningful accounts that allow people to properly share their experiences, rather than collecting a large number of short or limited stories. 

All stories must be anonymised and recorded in audio format. Recordings can be made using a mobile phone voice recorder app or through an online platform such as a Teams call, with the video function switched off. Participants must give informed consent before recording takes place. 

Alongside the audio recordings, funded organisations will be expected to complete a brief final report outlining how the project was delivered, how the funding was spent, what worked well, and any key learning. All stories and the final report must be submitted to WVCA by 9th March 2026. 

Funding and Payment: 

Funding will be provided in two instalments, 50% upfront to support project delivery and 50% upon receipt of the agreed number of stories and the final report by the deadline.

Eligibility:

• • You will be a voluntary or community organisation 
  • Priority will be given to grassroots, community-led organisations. 
  • Your proposed project must be based in Wolverhampton and stories captured from Wolverhampton residents 
  • Your project must focus on engaging LGBTQ+ participants and/or young people aged 18-25 to capture their experiences of health and care 
  • You must have an existing relationship with the community you plan to engage, due to the short delivery timescales and the need for participants to feel safe, comfortable and willing to share meaningful experiences 
  • You must be able to demonstrate how you will ensure consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding 

Applications will be assessed by a panel of impartial and experienced colleagues from a range of backgrounds. 

Applications will be scored from 1 to 5, from unacceptable to excellent. To be successful, applications must score at least 3 on each question. The strength of each application will be considered alongside others received. 

Due to the timescales, this will be a rolling programme with a rolling panel process. We aim to assess applications and make decisions shortly after they are received. It is important to bear in mind that there is a limited amount of funding available, and the programme will close once the available funds are allocated. Panel decisions are final and will be communicated to all applicants. Unfortunately, due to capacity, we are unable to provide detailed feedback to unsuccessful applicants.  

Organisations can apply for up to £5,000. Funding can be used for staff time, volunteer expenses, and resources needed to deliver the proposed activities. 

Next Steps:

If you meet the criteria and wish to apply for a grant, please use the application form below to make your application. 

Completing the Application 

Please tell us using the form below about the project or activity you want to deliver, the impact it will have on beneficiaries and what you will spend the money on.  Be as clear as possible so the panel fully understands your proposal and the rationale behind it. Once completed, please return the form to: applications@wvca.org.uk.