CHIMO’s mission is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people across the UK by investing in innovative and accessible forms of therapeutic support
We are a highly engaged grant giving charity investing in sport, nature and art-based interventions to provide mental health support to young people (aged 11-25).
Our charity partners enable young people to address their mental health needs in non-clinical settings and provide a pathway to support for those who find statutory services out of reach or unsuitable.
We support our partners to strengthen their organisational capability, increase their scale, develop their evidence and collaborate with each other.
Our team is made up of experienced professionals with careers in mental healthcare, investment, business, politics and charity.
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WHY young people’s
mental health?
The crisis in young people’s mental health is alarming.
Referrals to young people’s mental health services have nearly tripled in 7 years.
There is insufficient capacity within the sytem to provide support to all young people who need it and for some young people young people the support on offer is unsuitable.
We believe there is a need for more innovative and accessible forms of therapeutic support which allow young people to address their mental health needs in non-clinical environments.
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WHAT ARE SOCIAL PRESCRIPTIONS?
There is no magic solution to improve mental health.
Talking therapies and medication are traditional first lines of treatment but don’t work for everyone.
This creates an opportunity for an alternative approach through the delivery of engaging, clinical support in non-clinical settings or evidenced-based, non-clinical interventions, known as social prescriptions.
The NHS has put social prescribing at the heart of its long term plan.
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What we fund
We invest in charities that deliver mental health support to young people by harnessing the therapeutic powers of the creative arts, physical activity and nature.
The purpose of our funding is enable our charity partners to support more young people.
We want to create a community of best practice, encouraging our portfolio charities to collaborate with each other.
We plan to leverage our impact by collaborating with other funders.
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CHARITY PARTNERS
To date, we have invested £1.4 million into a carefully selected portfolio of charities.
Our charity partners support thousands of young people from diverse backgrounds from across the country with a wide range of mental health issues.
We prioritise charities that:
- harness the therapeutic power of physical activity, nature or the creative arts to support young people’s mental health;
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can evidence their impact;
- have the ambition and capability to expand their reach;
- are prepared to share best practice with other charities in the Chimo portfolio.
Our next grant giving round will be in early 2026.
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WHO WE ARE
Our trustees bring together different experiences from careers in mental healthcare, investment, business, politics and charity into a shared vision to grow the depth and breadth of mental health support available to young people in the UK.
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Support US
If, like us, you are struck by the crisis in young people’s mental health and want to support our work, please make a donation.
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