Applying for a grant from MCH Charity
We welcome any staff member to talk to us about using charitable funds to make improvements to patient care, or experience, or to support staff wellbeing.
Our objectives are to provide funding for projects which will have demonstrable impact and which are over and above what the NHS can provide. If you are unsure whether your request will meet our objectives, please in the first instance contact the Head of Charity to discuss your request.
Email: emma.robertson@mcht.nhs.uk
How do I apply?
Firstly, ensure that the item or project you want us to fund meets at least one of our objectives:
- improves patient care over basic NHS provision
- improves patient experience
- enhances the wellbeing of patients, their loved ones, or staff
Please also ensure that what you are applying for is NOT something which is essential or mandatory to the delivery of care you provide. We cannot provide funding for things which the NHS should provide to enable you to do your job.
We are also unable to provide funding for an individual that does not have wider public benefit. Please check with us first if you are unsure about this.
The charity holds several funds which cover the majority of wards, departments and services across our hospitals and community services. We also have a General Fund and dedicated appeal funds which cover those areas not covered by the divisional funds or which are for a specific purpose.
Once we receive your application we check with the appropriate Fund Manager (usually a senior clinical person working within your division) to check they approve the request and then we review it to ensure that it is charitable and meets our objectives.
How long does it take to approve requests?
Grants up to £20,000 are usually approved within 10 working days, grants between £20,000 - £100,000 are reviewed at quarterly Trustee Sub-Committee meetings (held in January, March, June and September) and requests over £100k are reviewed at Corporate Trustee meetings held twice a year in April and September.
Once reviewed we will inform you of the outcome and if approved will support you to place orders through the usual NHS supply systems.
What about staff education and training?
We can fund some education related items, or training for staff as long as it is not mandatory or a requirement of the role. If you would like to apply for funding for this purpose please email the Head of Charity.
Monitoring and evaluation
We are committed to ensuring that our grants fund items and projects which:
- improve care, experience or wellbeing for patients
- demonstrate clear, tangible impact
- are of high quality
It is important that we monitor and evaluate the impact of our grants and so as part of the application process you will need to agree to respond to requests for feedback, to complete a survey or provide a case study - the level of involvement will depend on the value of the grant and the intended outcomes of the project.