Scaling up what works for young people’s mental health and wellbeing
In June 2021, we began shaping a new fund in response to the sharp rise in mental health challenges faced by children and young people. The need was clear — but so was the opportunity. Over the years, the Community Foundation for Surrey had supported many impactful projects that delivered measurable improvements in young people’s mental health in our county
With this in mind, we set out to scale what already works — guided by a simple vision: every young person in Surrey who needs help should be able to access it.
Surrey Care Trust Allotment Project
Our Mental Health Scale-Up Fund is featured this week in a special edition of Philanthropy Impact Magazine, exploring how innovative models are revolutionising philanthropy and impact investing. The fund has been a powerful learning journey — not just for us, but also for the inspirational donors and grant recipients who have travelled with us.
Through this journey, we’ve identified three magic ingredients for scaling impact effectively:
Time – A five-year funding commitment from the outset allows organisations to plan for sustainable growth and unlock further funding from other sources.
Flexibility – While not unrestricted, our grants are adaptable. We’ve responded to unforeseen challenges such as rising National Insurance costs and offered pro bono support through our Funder Plus volunteers when needed to help organisations with business planning and risk management.
Trust – This is the most vital ingredient. Trust between funders — family foundations and public sector partners — who agreed to pool their resources. Trust between the fund panel and grant holders, who are empowered to shape their own impact. And trust among the grant recipients themselves, who meet annually with donors to share insights, challenges, and learning — a collaborative model that’s brought rich rewards.
Together, these elements — along with the dedication and expertise of the CFSurrey staff team — have enabled us to award £2,272,801 in grants since the fund launched in 2022, expanding access to preventative mental health and wellbeing support for young people across Surrey.
We are deeply grateful to the Quies Trust, A&J Smith Family Foundation, Netherby Trust, Sedel Collings Trust, Surrey Heartlands, Surrey County Council, and all our grant holders for their unwavering support and hard work.
For those who want to help, CF Surrey is able to receive donations via Enthuse and direct bank transfer.