Young Women in Mind 2026-2028
This grant programme has now closed for this year and we are no longer accepting applications. Please sign up below for more information on this grant programme; you can also follow us on LinkedIn for updates.
Young Women in Mind 2026 – 2028: funding programme to strengthen and scale young women’s mental health services
Young Women in Mind 2026-2028 is a collaborative funding programme set up by the Pilgrim Trust, the Prudence Trust and the Julia Rausing Trust to support charities providing gender‑specific therapeutic mental health support for girls and young women aged 14–25 in the UK. Together, we will invest £5 million over three years (2026–2028).
As funders, we have come together around a shared concern: young women are experiencing worsening mental health outcomes, yet too many still struggle to access timely support that reflects their lived realities and meets them in the community spaces they trust and turn to for help. The programme will support charities to grow, strengthen or adapt existing therapeutic mental health services.
By pooling funds we aim to ensure that more young women can access support that meets their needs effectively – particularly where mental health needs are already present and risk becoming entrenched without timely and effective help.
Need to know
| Grant size: | £200,000 to £500,000 spread over three years. |
| What funding covers: | Project costs, staff costs and fees, advocacy, learning and evaluation costs. |
| Geographical areas: | Must operate in either Northern Ireland, Scotland or the following regions of England: North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, the Midlands. Organisations working UK wide or England wide are also welcome to apply for work across their remit. |
| Age range of user group: | Must work with young people aged 14–25 (organisations may also work with a wider age range) |
| Services offered: | You already deliver therapeutic mental health services. |
| Key dates: | This programme opened on 11 May 2026. The deadline for stage one applications was 22 June. The deadline for stage two applications was 24 August. Notification of decisions: end Nov 2026 |
| Further info: |
Read our Funding Guidelines for 2026. |
Why young women? Why now?
We know that girls and young women in the UK are facing an escalating mental health crisis. Recent data shows that they are one of the most at-risk groups for developing a mental health condition, with over 30% of young women aged 17-25 now experiencing anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders or other problems. According to NHS Digital, reported mental health difficulties have increased more rapidly among young women, with current prevalence around twice that of young men.
Despite this growing need, we know that many young women and girls face significant barriers to accessing appropriate support, including long NHS waiting lists, stigma and the disruption caused by the transition from children to adult mental health services. On top of this, they face particular social barriers and structural inequalities that can contribute to poor mental health, such as lower income, caring responsibilities, and domestic and sexual abuse trauma. Most long-term mental health problems emerge before the age of 24, and without timely support can become entrenched.
This programme is about finding effective ways to help young women whose mental health needs would otherwise go overlooked.
Key principles for creating a good service
Seven key principles for creating a good mental health service for young women:
- Creating equal, confidential and trusted relationships between young women and support workers
- Providing safe and exclusive spaces for young women that are accessible and welcoming
- Creating opportunities for peer support
- Building in provisions to break down practical barriers that young women experience
- Providing flexible and non-clinical services
- Using creative interventions to increase engagement and offering a variety of therapeutic modalities, including creative therapies
- Incorporating trauma informed approaches
Thank you for your interest in this programme.
Who can apply
You can apply to this grant programme if:
- You are a UK registered charity (for at least three years) and already deliver therapeutic mental health services.
- You are a mental health charity with a clear youth and mental health mission and an annual income of £750,000+, OR
- You are a specialist charity led by and for women and girls, with a clear mental health mission, experience of delivering services to under 18s, and an annual income of £350,000+
- For this funding round you must operate in either Northern Ireland, Scotland or the following regions of England: North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, the Midlands. Organisations working UK-wide or England-wide can apply for work across their remit. Geographical locations will be reviewed in future rounds.
- Please read the funding guidelines for the full eligibility criteria.
Read our Funding Guidelines for 2026
Read our Frequently Asked Questions
How to apply
Applications for the Young Women in Mind 2026-2028 programme are currently closed.
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“MASH is pleased that the Pilgrim Trust has recognised that expert mental health support for young women is a priority. This funding will expand the support we offer, which many women tell us is their ‘lifeline’.”