Aims/Priorities: The Pilgrim Trust, an independent grant-making trust, was founded in 1930 by Edward Stephen Harkness of New York, with an endowment of just over £2 million, in order to support the urgent and future needs of the UK.
The Trust supports charities and other public bodies that work on preserving the UK's heritage or catalysing social change.
Currently, over 30% of young women (aged 17 to 25) experience anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders or other problems. According to NHS Digital, reported mental health difficulties have increased more rapidly among young women, with current prevalence around twice that of young men.
The Pilgrim Trust's Young Women in Mind Programme (previously Young Women's Mental Health Grant) addresses young women's mental health and supports mental health services working with young women.
For the Young Women in Mind 2026-2028 fund, the Pilgrim Trust is collaborating with the Prudence Trust and the Julia Rausing Trust. By pooling resources, this will ensure that more young women can access support. The seven key principles for creating a good mental health service for young women are:
- Creating equal, confidential and trusted relationships between young women and support workers.
- Providing safe and exclusive spaces for young women that are accessible and welcoming.
- Creating opportunities for peer support.
- Building in provisions to break down practical barriers that young women experience.
- Providing flexible and non-clinical services.
- Using creative interventions to increase engagement and offering a variety of therapeutic modalities, including creative therapies.
- Incorporating trauma informed approaches.
Young Women in Mind 2026-2028 supports UK registered charities delivering high quality services specifically designed to respond to the needs of young women (aged 14 to 25 years) experiencing mental health difficulties. It is anticipated that the support will enable the young woman to thrive and fulfil her potential.
Funding is available to:
- Scale or expand an existing, high-quality, targeted mental health service for young women and girls.
- Strengthen or adapt current provision to better meet young women's mental health needs.
For the current round, applications will be open to those working in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Organisations working UK-wide or England-wide are also welcome to apply for work across their remit. Future rounds will be for organisations across the UK.
Evidence-based, gender- and age-appropriate initiatives are welcomed from charities.
Who can apply? To be eligible, applicants must be either of the following UK-registered charities:
- Mental health charity with annual income of at least £750,000; have a clearly stated youth and mental health mission; and children and young people are a core beneficiary group (and ideally should be the charity's main focus).
- Women and girls' charity led by and for women and girls; have an annual income of at least £350,000; have a clearly stated mental health mission; and beneficiaries to include young women and girls under 18 years old.
The organisation must have been in operation for at least three years.
For the current round, the work must be located in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, the Midlands, Northern Ireland or Scotland. National charities may apply but the funded activity must only support beneficiaries from these areas. Future rounds will be open for projects anywhere in the UK.
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be able to demonstrate all of the following:
- A track record of working with young women aged 14-25 years old (but groups do not need to work exclusively with girls and young women/within this age range to be eligible).
- Proof of delivering at least one therapeutic mental health service for a minimum of three years.
- Offer other services that support mental health as part of a holistic offer.
- Services should primarily be delivered from a physical space rather than digital.
Partnership bids are eligible for funding (eg between a youth mental health charity and a women's charity) but applicants should email the Trust to discuss the proposal before submitting an application.
Grant amount: Grants of between £200,000 and £500,000, spread over a period of three years, are available.
It is anticipated that approximately 15 grants in total will be awarded across the 2026-2028 period.
Recipients will have the opportunity to attend facilitated community of practice meetings (six per year) to capture and share peer learning and good practice (and will include one annual in-person meeting).
Application process: There is a two-stage application process:
- The first step is to fill in a short Stage One application form using the online grants system.
- The second step is by invitation for Stage Two (only for applicants who were successful at Stage One).
Guidance notes and an online application portal are available at the Trust website.
Deadline: The closing date for Stage One applications is 22 June 2026.
Contact Information: Enquiries
Administrator
Pilgrim Trust
New Wing
Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA
Tel: 020 7834 6510
Email: info@thepilgrimtrust.org.uk
Website: https://www.thepilgrimtrust.org.uk/