Opportunity to apply for Public Health Grassroots Awards funding (£5000)

The vision for the Public Health Grassroots Awards is to foster a culture of research within public health at the grassroots level, empowering more individuals to contribute to innovative and informed practices that improve public health and reduce inequalities.

By offering short-term, part-time funding, the award is focused on equipping individuals in public health with the research skills necessary to enhance their impact and contribute to evidence-based practices, with support from local and national infrastructure.

Key priorities of the award:

1. Encouraging Research Engagement: The award aims to stimulate interest and activity in public health research among professionals who might not traditionally have access to such opportunities. Applicants do not need to have had any previous research experience, and for some this will be the first step in their research journey.

2. Inclusive Research Engagement: Acknowledging that barriers to being research active vary, the award is designed to be open to everyone, actively addressing and mitigating challenges some may face in becoming research active. The award can be used to provide supplementary resources for childcare, accessibility support (e.g. British Sign Language), or other needs that might otherwise prevent professionals from accessing the Public Health Grassroots Award support.

3. Flexibility: Recognising the diverse demands on awardees’ time, the funding is structured to be adaptable and part-time, ensuring that it aligns with each awardee’s professional and personal commitments and needs.

Application timeline

• Opening date for applications: Wednesday 23 April 2025
• Closing date for applications: Thursday 19 June 2025
• Panel meeting date: 2 July 2025
• Decisions announced: 9 July 2025
• Funding commences: by 30 September 2025

Eligibility

This call is open to colleagues who have a contract of employment with a:

• Local authority in England. This includes NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs), provided the applicant’s post is not directly funded by the HDRC
• Non-NHS provider, commissioned by a local authority to deliver a public health service or function
• Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) in England that receive a grant or are commissioned to deliver public health services