Through Our Funds, we support organisations working to reduce the impacts of poverty and trauma, with a focus on at least one of the following themes:
We are now almost three years into our ten-year strategy, and we continue to learn and increase our understanding around each of these themes through conversations with our grant holders and wider stakeholders.
Under EWR, we are interested in four specific issues:
Issue 1: Parenting, early years and family support which focuses on child attachment
Issue 2: Mental health support which aims to reduce dependency of children and young people on crisis or clinical services.
Issue 3: Activities which empower vulnerable girls and women, including crisis support for those affected by gender-based violence.
Issue 4: Services and support for adults affected by severe and multiple issues including addictions and homelessness.
Our Large grants under EWR, are focused on work that has a clear and direct link to one of these four issues. Each of the issues is focused on an identified group of people, this might relate to their gender, their age, being part of a family unit, or their lived experience.
In the following section, we look a little deeper at each of these issues and provide examples of what we have recently funded. We particularly welcome applications for unrestricted funding and the recent awards featured include examples of this.
Issue 1 - Parenting, early years and family support which focuses on child attachment.
We are particularly interested in work with the following characteristics:
- Direct, holistic, whole family support, identifying with the family those issues which are having the greatest impact on their lives, and which will make a real difference to family relationships and resilience, and their children’s life chances in the long term.
- Practical and emotional support to support the child to voice its needs, and to empower parents to better understand and act on those needs, promoting the bond between parent and child.
- Work that meets immediate need and/or provides preventative, early help.
- Flexible and longer-term access to services, to allow both parent and child the time to develop confidence around decisions about their life.
Recent awards:
Home-Start West Lothian – Running costs
Home-Start provides volunteer-led, parent-to-parent support, working alongside families to empower parents and caregivers, and to help children achieve their potential. Practical and emotional support is tailored to address those issues having the greatest impact and improving outcomes for the whole family.
Dads Rock - Young Dads Project
This charity was established to improve outcomes for children in Scotland, and to ensure their best start in life by providing support to Dads and families. The project works alongside young dads to increase their confidence, ability, and parenting skills to bond with and care for their child in a positive way.
Issue 2 - Mental health support which aims to reduce dependency of children and young people on crisis or clinical services.
We are particularly interested in work with the following characteristics:
- Preventative mental health support of children and young people, who have experienced complex trauma.
- Also, broader work for children and young people with other life experiences who – without early intervention – might be at risk of needing crisis support.
- Support that is person-centred and trauma informed whether it is delivered on a 1:1 and/or group basis. Complementary therapeutic support may also be available to family members and carers.
- The duration of support is flexible to meet the needs of the individual and, in some cases, may be open-ended.
Recent awards:
Youth Interventions – Running costs
This youth charity focuses on the targeted mental health and emotional wellbeing support of young people aged 11-25 and their families. Their work is relational, person centred and holistic, whereby trust is established gradually, and services are coproduced between the staff team and young people directly.
Play Therapy Base – Play Therapy Services
Play Therapy Base provides children with a child-centred therapeutic resource close to their local community. They use play therapy as a trauma intervention and an early intervention tool, to build confidence and resilience in children, particularly at key transitional points such as moving from nursery to school.
Issue 3 - Activities which empower vulnerable girls and women, including crisis support for those affected by gender- based violence.
We are particularly interested in work with the following characteristics:
- Specialist services for female survivors of gender-based violence, including rape, domestic abuse or sexual abuse/assault. Support is sustained and tailored to the individual’s immediate emotional and practical needs.
- Broader work to empower women and girls affected by poverty and trauma, and to improve their resilience.
- Advocacy work for survivors, and work to raise awareness and understanding of gender-based violence, promoting gender equality, challenging harmful norms and campaigning.
- Work that champions a preventative approach to bring about change in the behaviour of male perpetrators of violence against women and girls.
Recent awards:
Stirling & District Women's Aid - Running Costs
Women’s Aid provides support to women, children and young people who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse. Services delivered are both person- centred and trauma informed, providing early and intensive risk focused support, refuge, advocacy, and longer term emotional and practical support, as needed
Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (RASASH) - The costs of the Outreach & Prevention Work
RASASH provides support, information and advocacy for those who have experienced sexual violence or abuse. They are working towards the prevention and ultimately the elimination of sexual violence, supporting social change by raising awareness and understanding of rape and sexual violence, challenging myths and campaigning.
Issue 4 - Services and supports for adults affected by severe and multiple issues including addictions and homelessness.
We are particularly interested in work with the following characteristics:
- Holistic, intensive support to adults who have faced a number of disadvantages or harms such as poverty, mental ill health, drug or alcohol misuse, violence or homelessness.
- Work that meets immediate need, or which provides preventative, early help.
- Work that provides a range of emotional and practical support to help individuals recover from past trauma.
- Services are person centred and focused on strength-based approaches. They support the individual to (re-)engage with statutory services and may include an aftercare service to check in with individuals after they have left the main support programme.
Recent awards:
Perth Six Circle Project – Running costs
This charity offers a range of emotional, practical, and financial supports to help individuals experiencing complex issues to gain knowledge and skills to live healthier lives. A programme of activities and events aim to encourage positive social interaction between participants and connections within their community.
Fife Intensive Rehabilitation and Substance Use Team (FIRST) - Making it Work for Families Rehabilitation Worker
FIRST provides a community-based, rehabilitation service to individuals using a range of evidence-based interventions to support reduction or abstinence from substance misuse. Making It Work For Families is a partnership programme in Levenmouth and Kirkcaldy. The programme works with the whole family, to promote recovery from past trauma, to strengthen family relationships, and to link into longer term training, volunteering, education, or employment opportunities.
We understand that we still have a great deal to learn about the complex nature of trauma and as our work evolves and learning develops, we may further refine priority issues under each theme.
We are committed to working with partners, whilst listening to experts with lived experience to better understand where the Trust can focus its resources in this area. Our website and funding guidance will be updated with any such changes, and we welcome feedback from applicants and grant holders along the way.
If you have any queries and would like to contact out funding team, please email funding@therobertsontrust.org.uk, or call 0141 353 7300. Alternatively, you can keep up to date by signing up to our mailing list or following our social channels.
