This summer, thanks to players of The Health Lottery, we are investing £199,800 to give additional funding to six of the existing charities we work with.
Delva Patman, Chief Executive of The Health Lottery Foundation, explained:
” During 2025 we awarded several grants to charities that we approached directly. We’ve worked closely with these charities, in some cases over 18 months, and have now identified new opportunities to offer additional support. They are all doing fantastic work that we are keen to help sustain.”
£20,000 to Bloomsbury Football – extending impactful London model in the East Midlands
This is the first project outside of London for Bloomsbury Football Foundation. They have already supported over 6,500 young people in London, on a mission to transform lives through the magic of football.
This grant supports the organisation to set up in the East Midlands, enabling young people in this area access to football, to build the confidence, community and life skills that can help them thrive on and off the pitch.
£50,000 to Farms for City Children – celebrating 50 years of inspirational farm residentials
Farms for City Children offer children from underserved communities the experience of being farmers for a week and they have been doing this for 50 years!
The impact of the farm residential experience on individual children who lack confidence and communication skills can be life changing. This grant allows the organisation to reach more young people in 2026/7.
£30,000 to Phab – delivering adventures for disabled people and their friends and family
Phab support a range of accessible and inclusive residential breaks and activity days for disabled people, their friends and families. This grant will allow more people to gain access to residentials at two chosen sites, Bendrigg Lodge and Avon Tyrrell.
£20,100 to Sport in Mind – spreading urgent mental health support across the Northwest
Sport in Mind are already delivering successfully in Bolton. Our funding will allow the organisation to expand their programme to Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford & Tameside. This is to respond to the challenges young people in the area face.
1 in 5 young people have a probable mental health problem in Greater Manchester. There is a clear and urgent need for accessible, preventative, community-based support that can engage young people earlier and reduce pressure on statutory services.
£50,000 to The Royal Countryside Fund – helping farmers make time for their health
In 2025 we funded a pilot project – ‘Checking the Pressure of Farming Life’. It was hugely successful and this grant (over two years) will support The Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) to build on their achievements to date.
As with the pilot, the Farm Support Groups (FSGs) will meet the farmers at agricultural shows and livestock markets. Delivering healthcare in this setting allows farmers to access support in a familiar and trusted environment, helping to promote prevention and facilitate early intervention when required.
£29,700 to Support Dogs – training staff to support clients and their dogs
Support Dogs train autism assistance dogs, epilepsy seizure alert dogs and disability assistance dogs for those affected by a wide range of physical conditions including MS, Cerebral Palsy, fibromyalgia, and more. The success of the programme relies on expert staff to offer ongoing support to clients and their dogs.
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- Health checks for farmers.
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- Sport in Mind in action
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- Brenda with her Support Dog
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- A Phab adventure
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- Farm residential
The Health Lottery Foundation’s grant-giving strategy
We will continue to use several different ways to give out funding, this includes our Community Choice nomination rounds, open application rounds for larger grants and closed rounds.
In addition, this spring we launched Local Legends, a volunteer reward and recognition scheme that shines a spotlight on the amazing individuals that are the backbone of the voluntary sector. Building deeper relationships with the organisations we’ve funded, which can include visits, profile-raising activities and additional funding opportunities, remains important to us. We are dedicated to making the biggest impact we can with the funds available to us. To read more about who we supported in 2025 look at our Impact Report.