AN exciting new £7.5 million grant programme supporting projects designed to improve residents’ health and tackle health inequalities has been announced by Essex County Council.  

The Public Health Accelerator Bids (PHAB) programme will launch later this year, offering a range of organisations the opportunity for bid for funding across two grant funding streams. These are: 

• small grants under £15,000  
• major grants over £15,000  

Covering an initial three-year period, PHAB projects will lay the foundations for achieving longer-term health outcomes that help everyone in Essex to live a healthy life and achieve their full potential.  

The PHAB programme will fund projects supporting the aims of the new Essex Wellbeing, Public Health and Communities Plan, which outlines specific areas of focus for prevention work.  

Grants are available to a range of groups, including voluntary and community organisations, registered charities, community interest companies, schools, NHS Integrated Care Systems, local authorities, consortiums of organisations and more.  

Lucy Wightman, Director of Wellbeing, Public Health and Communities at Essex County Council, said: “The programme will focus on supporting the communities in Essex with the worst health outcomes and supports our commitment to reducing health inequalities across the county and improving residents’ health.  

“We are looking for applicants that have the expertise to deliver innovative public health projects and we are excited to see the impact the successful bids will make to the lives of people in Essex.” 

Applications for the small grants and first round of the major grant will open on Monday 4 September. In advance, expressions of interest for the major grants programme will be invited from Tuesday 1 August.  

There will be more than one round of applications for the major grant funding with the first grants set to be awarded in November 2023. 

Interested parties who have any queries about the PHAB programme, can email [email protected].