Our Younger People & Education programme has awarded seven new grants totalling £1.3 million to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing across London. 

The grants form Cohort 2 of our Mental Health and Wellbeing (‘MHWB’) special initiative funded by Mercers' Charitable Foundation, of which the Mercers' Company is trustee. The initiative supports community based organisations working with young people from marginalised communities, particularly when they have faced systemic issues or barriers to accessing mental health support.  

Cohort 2 funding is targeted at projects operating across areas of higher disadvantage including Islington, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham, Camden, Haringey, Waltham Forest, Lambeth and Sutton. 

The funded programmes demonstrate:

• Sustainable approaches that deliver long‑term improvements in mental health and wellbeing
• A strong understanding of multiple disadvantage and the systemic root causes affecting young people
• Accessible, relevant and appropriate support, designed around young people’s needs and the barriers they face

Funded organisations – Cohort 2: 

East London Out Project – LGBTQ+ Young People’s Mental Health Project
Supporting LGBTQ+ young people aged 12–25 through mentoring, counselling, peer groups and holiday sessions to address complex trauma and adversity.

Brandon Centre for Counselling – She Is Supported (SIS) Project
Supporting girls aged 9-17 in Islington through mentoring, counselling, psychotherapy, peer support and leadership residentials, in partnership with local youth centres.

Body & Soul – You Are Not Alone (YANA) Programme
Providing long‑term therapeutic support for young people aged 16–20 experiencing suicidality and poor mental health, alongside skills sessions and community engagement.

Streetz Ahead – BASE Project
An arts‑based project supporting children at risk of school exclusion, improving emotional regulation, mental wellbeing and whole‑school cultures.

National All Star Skills Academy (NASSA) – Mentoring for Life
Delivering mentoring and wellbeing support to young people facing risk factors such as poverty and gang involvement, using basketball as a trusted engagement space with mental health support.

St Matthew’s Project – Fit4Life
Supporting children and young people aged 3–25 in Tulse Hill, using football to build trust, encourage positive relationships and access counselling and further support.

Sutton Borough Volunteer Bureau (Volunteer Centre Sutton) – MAPS Elevate+
Providing one‑to‑one wellbeing mentoring, peer mentoring and group sessions for young people aged 12–18 affected by adversity, including care experience, poverty and domestic abuse.

“Young people today are navigating increasingly complex mental health challenges shaped and intensified by trauma, inequality and systemic barriers to suitable care. Alongside this, they are feeling the impact of the Covid-19 and ongoing cost of living crisis. 

“The organisations funded through Cohort 2 are deeply connected to their local communities and demonstrate a commitment to meeting young people where they are, grounding their practice in lived experience. They are united in providing mental health support that is holistic, inclusive and responsive.”

Eva Pryce, Grant Programme Manager, The Mercers’ Company 

Learning and evaluation

Cohort 2 will be supported by learning partners St Mary’s University London and Maudsley Learning, who will work with funded organisations to foster shared learning, strengthen the evidence base and support best practice across the MHWB programme.

About the MHWB Special Initiative 

The MHWB special initiative was developed in 2022 in response to increasing mental health challenges facing young people. It was launched alongside of Propel, a pan‑London funder collaboration, formed to support projects that address systemic while encouraging collaboration and more equitable finding practices.  

In 2023 seven organisations were funded through Propel, forming Cohort 1 with grants running for a three year period. 

The award of these new grants, forming Cohort 2 demonstrates continued commitment through our Young People & Education programme to supporting community mental health provision for young people across London. 

For further information on our Young People & Education Programme read here.