Small Grants
Up to £5,000 available to support patient-centred projects.
** Our Small Grants are currently closed for application. Please contact [email protected] to look at other sources of potential funding.**
Sometimes the smallest change can make the biggest difference to a patient’s experience; maybe a relaxing waiting area, specialist equipment, or activities to improve patient wellbeing.
If you have an idea for a project that will directly benefit NHS Lothian patients, whether in hospital wards and departments, or in community health services, and will be delivered within 12 months of receiving the grant, up to £5,000 may be available through our Small Grants programme.
Your application should outline the following:
- What you want to do
- Why you want to do it
- How you are going to do it
- What patient group will benefit
- What difference it will make and how you will monitor/evaluate this
- What the costs will be for the project
- Who you are working with on your idea
Small Grants in numbers:
From April 2022 to April 2024, we awarded 64 Small Grants totalling £188,443
Enhanced patient and carer experience
100%
of staff reported that patients will continue to benefit beyond the initial six months period of their Small Grants project
“I’ve enjoyed being able to learn new skills and take on new techniques to use at home when feeling stressed.”
70%
of staff reported that their Small Grants projects resulted in patients being more engaged with staff and treatment
“The project has helped reduce harm and create safer injecting opportunities, also has improved engagement with staff allowing longer consultations to help identify areas where additional support may be required.”
60%
of staff reported that their Small Grants projects resulted in patients being happier
“We can see how happy children are when they come here and how they now have a positive experience and that in turn makes our jobs easier.”
Improved staff wellbeing and professional development
The principal aim of the Small Grants programme is direct patient benefit and enhanced experience, but many projects also contribute towards an improving staff wellbeing and professional development.
Half of all projects funded have reported they have provided positive benefits for staff.
Got any questions?
Check our Frequently Asked Questions below, or get in touch.
Here’s how some of our grant recipients have used funding
The Power of Every Step: From Fundraising to Frontline Impact
The commitment of our fundraisers, coupled with the generosity of families and friends, means we are able to support innovative projects across NHS Lothian that improve patient outcomes and experience.
Creating a calmer birthing environment for new mums at the Lothian Birth Centre
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. At the Lothian Birth Centre, the amazing team works tirelessly […]
Making Memories Matters – Enhancing Patient Experience Through Keepsakes
For patients and families facing a palliative diagnosis, creating and preserving memories can be a powerful source of comfort and connection at a difficult time.
A Day of Wellness and Development: Investing in staff to improve patient care
Our commitment to enhancing wellbeing support for our NHS Lothian colleagues recognises that happy and healthy staff leads to better patient care.
Frequently Asked Questions
You must be an employee of NHS Lothian responsible for delivering services that directly support NHS Lothian patients, or employed by GP practices contracted to NHS Lothian. If you are applying from a GP practice contracted to provide NHS Lothian services, please select ‘General Medical Services’ as your legal status when completing the online application form.
Please ensure you have informed your manager about your application prior to submission.
For some projects you may need to work with other NHS Lothian departments and/or a third sector organisation to deliver your project. When preparing your application, plan in some time to discuss the project with those who you require support from and what that support might be so that if you are awarded funding then all those involved are aware of their role in delivering the project.
The Small Grants programme cannot fund certain costs, such as research costs, salary costs (specifically NHS Lothian or GP Practice employed staff), capital costs or services delivered which are considered to be core provision by either acute services or GP practices.
NHS Lothian Charity is committed to supporting staff development and wellbeing. However, for training courses, unless the training is related to a specific project idea, we cannot fund specific training courses through the Small Grants programme. Funding for training should be secured through other funding streams such as core training budgets or the NHS Lothian run Elsie Inglis awards scheme or ward and specific funds.
For projects to support staff wellbeing, you can apply to the NHS Lothian run wellbeing grants programme or ward and specific funds which include this within their fund purpose.
Applications on behalf of individual patients and staff (for example hardship grants) cannot be funded through the Small Grants programme. NHS Lothian Charity funds an income maximisation service for patients in acute and community hospitals, as well as a service for staff. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Retrospective requests for financial support (for example reimbursement of petty cash) will not be accepted. So please ensure that you have submitted your application and received your award before you start your project. If you have any concerns about your project timeline, or have a time sensitive project, then please do get in touch with us and we can explore how the Charity can support: [email protected]
Please also see ‘Who can apply for Small Grants Funding’ above.
If you are still unsure whether your project meets the Small Grants criteria, drop us an email before you start your application and we can advise: [email protected]
No. There used to be a deadline but you can now apply for a Small Grant at any time.
You can apply through our online application system.
You will be asked to provide details on the following
- What you want to do
- Why you want to do it
- The patient group your project will benefit
- The difference it will make and how you will monitor/evaluate this
- Project costs
- Who you are working with on your idea
Unfortunately, we are unable to assess incomplete applications or those that do not provide a cost breakdown, so if you are experiencing any issues with completing your application, please do get in touch: [email protected].
We will normally keep in touch with you about applications via email, although sometimes it may be useful to have a quick discussion over the phone. You can state in the application form how you would prefer us to contact you.
All applicants must have read and agree to our grant related Terms and Conditions which can be found on our online application system.
Eligible applications are reviewed against how the project meets our strategic aims, in particular the level of patient benefit.
We will also review applications against all available funding options through the Charity, in case there is a more appropriate method of funding for your project. We will let you know if another fund has been identified and any other important information you might need.
Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with feedback around the reasons for not providing funding, which we hope will help to improve any future applications either to NHS Lothian Charity or a different funding body.
If your application is successful, we will pay awarded funding to either an NHS Lothian cost centre or the GP practice, depending on whether you are an NHS Lothian staff member or work for a GP practice contracted to NHS Lothian.
It is essential that you work within the existing NHS Lothian systems and processes for procurement and follow best and ethical practice when spending your grant. Please ensure when calculating your costs you have liaised with the NHS Lothian procurement team or, for electrical items, the NHS Lothian estates team, to identify appropriate items and relevant costs. Please note that NHS Lothian standard operating procedures mean that purchases cannot be made from many high street providers e.g. Amazon, Ikea.
The above guidance refers to when funds are paid across to NHS Lothian only. If funds are paid directly to a GP practice the existing financial processes/systems for that practice would then apply.
No. Funding for patient Christmas activities, modest gifts and decorations follow a different process. Details of how to apply and when will be available on our website once applications open in autumn.
