£15,000 grants available for Healthy Heart community projects

Local charities in Wales that are helping local people look after their hearts can now apply for a grant of up to £15,000 from national charity Heart Research UK. Applications open on the 30th of March.

The grant is available for new and effective projects working with adults to promote healthy hearts, with the aim to reduce the risk of heart disease in the local community.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the world’s biggest killers, with South of Wales having some of the highest death rates in the UK. Healthy Heart grants aim to work preventatively within communities that may be marginalised or not have much access to health resources, ultimately to reduce the amount of people living with or dying from heart disease.

Projects should deliver health initiatives mainly focusing on one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as nutrition and healthy eating, physical activity, smoking, or alcohol.

The grants are available to registered charities with an annual income of less than £1m. Grants will be awarded in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England.

Opening dates for applications for each region will be staggered, with Wales being the first to open on the 30th of March with a closing date of the 27th of April.

Since 2001, Heart Research UK has awarded over 300 community grants, directly benefiting the hearts of over 70,000 individuals and countless wider community and family members across all regions of the UK.

Last year, the grant in Wales was awarded to Innovate Trust and their project ‘Move It’ which supported people with learning disabilities to be more physically active, promoting both their physical and mental wellbeing.

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive at Heart Research UK, said: “We’ve seen amazing results from our Healthy Heart Grants over the years and are thrilled to be able to continue to award these in 2023.

“We know it’s a challenge to try and change your life for the better when it comes to things like eating and exercising, and through these grants we’ve seen what a massive impact grassroot community projects can have in providing resources, knowledge and tools and motivating people to look after their hearts.

“We’re now looking for new and innovative projects that really will have an impact, especially if they aim to improve the health of at risk or hard to reach communities.”

To see the full list of opening and closing dates for applications, please visit https://heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-heart-grants/.