Leeds Men's Suicide Prevention Fund Small Grants
Grant size: Up to £10,000
Deadline: Closed
Aim of the programme
Public Health – Leeds City Council and Leeds Community Foundation are working in partnership to fund local third sector community initiatives aimed at men with high risk of suicide. We want to support social activities for men determined by local men themselves, and to provide outreach work with targeted communities in order to reduce social isolation. The focus of this programme is on areas of need where activities for socially isolated men are lacking. The targeted areas are Inner South, Inner West and Inner East Leeds, as these are communities with the highest suicide rates involving socially isolated men.
The programme will initially run for three years with over £70,000 distributed annually through both small grants of up to £10,000 and large grants of up to £25,000.
Suicide Prevention is a key public mental health priority in Leeds. There is a long-standing, multi-agency strategic Suicide Prevention group, and the Leeds Suicide Audit 2011-2013 is nationally recognised as best practice. Leeds has also been cited as a best practice case study for investing in 'postvention' (i.e. counselling and other social care given after the experience of a traumatic event, especially to those directly affected by a suicide bereavement). This service has been well evaluated and is contributing to global evidence of effective peer-led interventions.
However, until now the city has not directly funded activity with men who are Leeds's highest at risk group. The Leeds audit published in 2016 found that men are almost five times more likely to end their own life than women. This is higher than the national average of three to one. The rate of suicide in men has increased since the previous audit, whilst the rate in women had not. White British males were over twice as likely to end their life by suicide than BME men. 55% of the audit population lived in the most deprived 40% of the city. Nearly 70% of the audit population were single, divorced or separated compared to 28% who were married, cohabitating or in a civil partnership. A theme of social isolation emerges from these findings.
The areas with the highest number of suicides are slightly west and south of the city centre, making a band across LS13, LS12, LS11, LS10 and LS9.
Based on these findings, we are keen to fund activities working with men in these areas.
This programme is currently closed for applications.
If you would like further information on the required monitoring or any other aspect of the programme, please contact Leeds Community Foundation at First Floor, 51a St Paul's Street, Leeds LS1 2TE, Telephone: 0113 242 2426, Email: grants@leedscf.org.uk.