#SpeakUp grants scheme - applications are now open!

What is a #SpeakUp grant?

Our #SpeakUp grants scheme is aimed at local community, voluntary and not-for-profit groups. The funding helps groups to run projects which capture the views and experiences of the people they work with about health and social care. This could be anything - including their recent experiences of using health and care services, any barriers to accessing services they currently face, or their vision of what a good service would look like. We then help groups to write up their findings, including recommendations for how services could improve, and make sure this is heard by decision-makers.

By working with groups who are already trusted partners in their communities, we can make sure we're hearing from even more people, including those whose voices aren't often heard by services. 

This year we are looking for 5 voluntary or community sector groups or organisations to work with us on projects which will help take people’s views and experiences to decision makers in Sheffield.

• Do you feel that the experiences and voices of the people you support often go unheard?
• Does your organisation wish it could spend more time on influencing policy and strategy?
• Do members of your team wish they had more knowledge and resources to help them do voice and influence work?
• Do you want to connect your work with decision makers in health and social care?

Then join us, for our 2022/23 round of #SpeakUp Grants.

We want to help you shine a light on whichever areas of health and social care are important to you - so the projects will be led by you and the people you work with. You could run focus groups, activity days, interviews, creative projects, or whatever works best to help you speak with people.

What does a #SpeakUp project involve?

You can find out more about our #SpeakUp grants scheme on our grants page, including examples of previous projects we have funded. This year we are offering fewer grants than before, but each one has more funding, and a greater level of support from our team. We hope that this will help organisations to carry out meaningful projects that will have real impact for their communities. Here are the details at a glance:

The offer

• 5 grants of £2000 each
• 4 days of dedicated staff time to support each project
• Help with information provision to share with your community
• Support to write and share a report with decision-makers
• Creating opportunities for local people to connect with decision-makers directly

The ask

• Work collaboratively with us to support your project
• Design and deliver activities which will capture the views and experiences of at least 30 people
• Complete these activities by 30th September (this doesn't include writing the report)