WHAT WE FUND
Funding priorities
Chimo Trust invests in charities that use community-based, social interventions to support young people suffering from poor mental health
We specifically work with charities:
- that combine the therapeutic power of sport, nature or art with psychological and emotional support from coaches, mentors, therapists, psychologists and/or peers to help young people experiencing mental health challenges;
- which have the ambition to expand so more young people can benefit from their work;
- that can evidence the impact of their interventions;
- which are prepared to collaborate with other charities in the Chimo network to share best practice and to advance the creation of sector champions;
- that have diversified funding streams to ensure the long-term sustainability of their business models;
- which have annual income between £200k and £2m (with a few exceptions) so our grants can have a meaningful impact on each charity’s work.
GRANT TERMS
The Chimo team will actively seek out charities to apply for funding and will not accept unsolicited applications. Applicants will be invited to apply and required to fill in an application form.
Trustees will only accept applications from UK registered charities or organisations with a charitable objective (eg Community Interest Companies - CICs).
Grants will only be made after a visit from a Chimo trustee.
We do not fund traditional talking therapy sessions nor organisations whose primary activity is youth work.
We aim to have annual funding rounds of up to £1m. Funding will normally be provided for 3 years.
The annual amount of a grant awarded to an individual charity will be limited to 10% of the charity’s annual income, so the charity does not become overly dependent on Chimo funding for its sustainability.
Grant sizes and timescales may vary as agreed by the trustees.
Chimo’s goal is to provide sustainable funding to a select portfolio of charities so they can plan with confidence. Grant recipients are subject to ongoing monitoring and review.
Our hope is for the size of annual grants to grow as Chimo raises external funds.
Trustees reserve the right to make exceptions to these general terms to fund larger or smaller organisations carrying out life-changing work for young people experiencing mental health challenges.
charity partners
We have made grants to 16 organisations ain our first two years. Our next funding round will be in early 2026.
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