GSK Health Inequalities programme
Overview
Background to Funding
The GSK Health Inequalities programme was launched to support very small registered charities with an annual income under £150,000 that have been tackling health inequalities in their communities in the UK for at least a year.
Health inequalities are avoidable and systematic differences that include access to care, quality and experience of care, and life expectancy, as well as wider factors such as environment and housing. The alarming scale of these inequalities was exposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The GSK Health Inequalities programme was launched to support aspirational leaders who want to develop their organisations. It is designed to run alongside the GSK IMPACT Awards and support the next generation of award winners. We know from our long association with the GSK IMPACT Awards that the combination of funding and leadership support can really help a charity realise its ambitions.
GSK and The King’s Fund actively encourage organisations to apply that are led by and support people from under-represented backgrounds, people from ethnic minority communities, people with disabilities and people from the LGBTQ+ community. They want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge as they recognise that diversity makes us stronger.
The programme is designed to run alongside the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) IMPACT Awards .
Funding
Up to 15 organisations will receive up to £10,000.
Award winners will also be offered access to training and development valued at £2,700.
The leadership programme
Up to 15 places are available on an online leadership programme, valued at £2,700 a place. The programme will be delivered by The King’s Fund, and provide participants with the opportunity to develop their capability and confidence to lead both operationally and strategically. Taking part in the programme will require time and commitment, and it may not be right for everyone.
The focus of the leadership programme will be on supporting participants to reflect on and pay attention to how they present themselves as a leader, and what supports and gets in the way of them being effective and successful in their role. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of developing the skills, qualities and practices that enable leaders to build the relationships and hold the quality of conversations that enable them to achieve their personal and organisational aspirations and goals.
Participants will co-create the content. There is an expectation that they will come with an openness and willingness to challenge their thinking, reflect on and develop their leadership practice and collaborate together to build a supportive learning community.
Who can apply
To be eligible organisations must be:
- within the income band for the programme – the charity must have total annual income between £20,000 and £150,000 as shown in its most recent accounts. If your organisation's income is above £150,000 you may be eligible to apply for the GSK IMPACT Awards.
- a registered charity by the deadline for applications 5.00pm on Monday 14 August 2023 – the organisation must also have existed for a minimum of one year by this date
- working, located and registered in the UK
- independently constituted from any national umbrella organisation
- able to demonstrate how they are tackling health inequalities in their community (this can be defined as a geographical community or a community of interest).
What are they looking for
They are interested in your whole charity, so please tell them about the work you do across your organisation. They will not shortlist an application that only focuses on a particular project.
Charities will need to demonstrate how their organisation is supporting communities that experience health disadvantage and how their work helps tackle this issue. Examples include but are not limited to:
- They may be working to make health services more accessible, appropriate or welcoming to the communities they serve, for example, by setting up services and access points from within the community, or working with public sector providers to address barriers to access.
- They may be supporting communities to access health services, such as by supporting people to register with a GP, or to access support for mental health issues.
- They may be providing specific services to communities to support their health and wellbeing, increase uptake of screening services, improve healthy lifestyles or other similar activity.
- They may be using focused interventions to ensure parts of the community that have traditionally been under-served or have experienced marginalisation have access to appropriate services.
GSK and The King’s Fund actively encourage organisations to apply that are led by and support people from under-represented backgrounds, people from ethnic minority communities, people with disabilities and people from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge as we recognise that diversity makes us stronger.