Introduction
During 2026-27 the Council will be offering two grant funding opportunities which align with our ambitions in Adult Social Care Early Intervention and Prevention and the Council’s new vision for a healthy, fair and sustainable Cambridgeshire. The funding streams are:
- Adult Social Care Seed Funding Grants for innovative community-based projects
- An opportunity to administer a Local Mental Health Community Fund that will enable small grants (up to £1000) to be offered to local community groups and even individuals making a difference to adult mental health.
By funding new approaches to supporting people over 18, with both their physical and mental health, as well as promoting social inclusion and addressing inequalities, these two grants are aligned with the following council ambitions:
- Ambition 3 – Health inequalities are reduced
- Ambition 4 – People enjoy healthy, safe and independent lives through timely support that is most suited to their needs
- Ambition 6 – Places and communities prosper because they have a resilient and inclusive economy, access to good quality public services and social justice is prioritised
1. Adult Social Care seed funding grants 2026-27
What we are looking for
The projects funded in this way will contribute to managing demand for Adult Social Care services by supporting independence and improving outcomes for people, thus reducing health inequalities in our communities.
The amounts allocated, reflecting adult populations in each locality are:
- City & South £115,000
- East Cambs £31,000
- Huntingdonshire £62,000
- Fenland £40,000
A recent independent evaluation of the impact of seed funding under the 3-year Care Together programme (23-24 to 25-26) has guided our approach, bringing recommendations which have been applied to the areas of unmet need identified and co-produced with partners.
Our commissioners have engaged with stakeholders ranging from residents and Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners to District & Parish Councillors and Health colleagues, in Integrated Neighbourhood meetings, community events and beyond.
Multiple teams have contributed to the list of gaps and priorities below, which we would encourage partners to seek to address in their proposals. Activities should be inclusive of adults from all backgrounds, that is people with protected characteristics such as, but not limited to, disability (including hearing or sight loss), diverse ethnic or religious backgrounds or lived experience of discrimination for other reasons.
| Area | Unmet needs identified | Recommendations from Independent Evaluation of Seed Funding (23-26) |
| Mental health | Short-term or one-off support for those in a crisis (18+) |
- Improve evidence capture in a light-touch way - Use place-based learning more deliberately |
| Physical activity | New offers to encourage vulnerable adults of all ages to get moving |
- Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Improve evidence capture in a light-touch way - Use place-based learning more deliberately |
| Digital or TEC solutions | Innovative solutions e.g. wearables, falls detection, medication management etc. |
- Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Invest in sustainability pathways |
| Local transport | Very short trips e.g. from home to village hall for social inclusion activity |
- Strengthen integration without adding burden - Improve evidence capture in a light-touch way - Use place-based learning more deliberately |
| Inter-age activity | Opportunities for people from differing age groups to come together e.g. older adults with those under 18 |
- Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Use place-based learning more deliberately |
| Independence at home | For those 18+ unable to leave home for any reason to receive regular social contact by phone, online, or in person |
- Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden |
| Meaningful activity for people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism | Provision of community-based activities specifically for those with Learning Disability/Autism, outside the normal working day (i.e. evenings and weekends) |
- Strengthen integration without adding burden - Use place-based learning more deliberately |
| Coordination and support with access | Coordinating access to community activity and opportunities specifically for adults with a Learning Disability/Autism who are ineligible for local authority funded support |
- Keep what works: flexibility, trust and relational commissioning - Strengthen integration without adding burden - Use place-based learning more deliberately |
Eligibility criteria
Organisations or community groups that
- can work collaboratively within local communities
- are registered with The Charity Commission or Companies House (for Community Interest Companies)
- can provide a governance structure for their group (articles of association or constitution)
- are holders of a UK business bank account
- can provide policies and procedures that align with Cambridgeshire County Councils Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens as PDF) for their organisation/group
- can start the project within 3 months of grant award and keep the project running for at least 12 months, ideally evidencing long-term sustainability once funding ends.
Submission of bids
The period for submission of seed funding bids will be from 1 April to 4 May 2026, and applicants will be asked to send their completed application form to Commissioning.BusinessSupport@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
(Please change the name of the file to reflect your locality and organisation name. e.g. Fenland SF_[your_org_name].doc or Hunts SF_[your_org_name].doc)
One organisation can bid for seed-funding for projects in more than one locality, but separate applications must be submitted, and the grant may only be awarded for one of those projects, so they must be viable and sustainable, independently of one another.
Notification of the outcome of seed funding bid evaluation process
Successful bidders will be informed of the outcome of the moderation process and next steps / timelines for signing of agreements and commencement of activity will be agreed by end June 2026.
Those organisations that submitted an unsuccessful bid will be provided with feedback to support future applications, as well as signposting to possible alternative sources of funding, if appropriate.
The names of successful applicants and a summary of the projects they will be funded to deliver will then be included on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.
Duration of the grant agreement
Initially, the seed-funding agreement will be for 12 months from 1st July 2026 to 30th June 2027. However, it is hoped that seed-funding will again be made available throughout 2027-28 and beyond, pending governance approval by the council and the new unitary authorities following LGR.
2. Administration of a Local Mental Health Community Fund (LMHCF)
What we are looking for
This is for third-party administration of four small pots of funding enabling individuals and small groups (not necessarily constituted as charities) to access up to £1000 each to support local activities positively impacting Mental Health. The total funding available for this purpose in each locality is shown below, reflecting adult populations in each locality:
- City & South - £15,000
- East Cambs - £4,000
- Huntingdonshire - £8,000
- Fenland - £5,000
The successful bidder will promote the fund in their area and undertake due diligence and evaluation of bids, all of which should support the Five Ways to Wellbeing, that is, evidence-based, daily actions designed to improve mental health and emotional resilience (Connect with people, Be Active, Take Notice of the moment, Keep Learning, and Give to others). These simple steps—including chatting with friends, exercising, mindfulness, learning hobbies, and volunteering—help build happiness and reduce stress.
Eligibility criteria
Organisations or community groups that:
- can work collaboratively within local communities
- are registered with The Charity Commission or Companies House (for Community Interest Companies)
- can provide a governance structure for their group (articles of association or constitution)
- are holders of a UK business bank account
- can provide policies and procedures that align with Cambridgeshire County Councils Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens as PDF) for their organisation/group
- can start the project within 3 months of grant award and keep the project running for at least 12 months
Submission of LMHCF Bids
Please include in your bid to manage the LMHCF your administration costs (including promotion) and the total amount to be made available for individual projects. For example, if you are in Hunts, your organisation might take a 10% admin fee (£800), so £7,200 will be allocated for small projects, each up to £1,000 max.
The period for submission of Local Mental Health Community Fund bids will be from 1 April to 4 May 2026, and applicants will be asked to send their completed Application Form to Commissioning.BusinessSupport@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
(Please change the name of the file to reflect your locality and organisation name e.g. Fenland LMHCF_[your_org_name].doc or Hunts LMHCF_[your_org_name].doc)
One organisation can bid for admin of LMHCF projects in more than one locality, but separate applications must be submitted, and the grant may only be awarded for one of those projects, so they must be viable and sustainable, independently of one another.
Notification of the outcome of LMHCF bid evaluation process
Successful bidders will be informed of the outcome of the evaluation and moderation process and next steps / timelines for signing of agreements and commencement of activity will be agreed by end June 2026 with delivery commencing 1st Sept 2026.
Those organisations that submitted an unsuccessful bid will be provided with feedback to support future applications, as well as signposting to possible alternative sources of funding, if appropriate.
The name of the successful bidder(s) will be included on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.
Duration of the grant agreement
Initially, the grant agreement will be for 12 months from 1st September 2026 to 31st August 2027. However, it is hoped that funding will be available for the LMHCF to continue to be administered throughout 2028 and possibly beyond, pending governance approval by Cambridgeshire County Council and the new unitary authorities following LGR.
