Funding Newsletter - April 2026

Funding Newsletter - April 2026

We are your charity, here to support you every step of the way. Since April 2021 we have provided £28 million in additional funding that turn your great ideas into reality.

We’re excited to announce the next round of funding opportunities that will be available throughout 2026-27. These opportunities will be open to all staff across all hospitals.

Funding Opportunities:

Moments That Matter

The Moments That Matter 2026/27 funding call will be open to applications from 27 April to support small, meaningful projects between £75 and £2,500. Projects should aim improve someone’s experience of care or work by creating moments of comfort, dignity, calm, connection or joy.

We’re looking for simple but powerful ideas that make a noticeable difference to patients, families or staff, and can be delivered quickly, such as comfort packs, toys, sensory items, or resources that support compassionate, person-centred care. Practical items that reduce stress or enhance dignity, like spare clothing, wigs or specialist comfort equipment, are also strongly encouraged.

Projects must go above and beyond standard NHS provision and be the kind of human impact stories we’d proudly share with donors. 
Deadlines run monthly from 4 May 2026 to 24 February 2027, with panels held two weeks later.

Full details and application form

Care bags for patients with learning disabilities & autism

Staff recognised that patients with Autism or Learning Disabilities struggled with the unpredictable environment in the Emergency Department, so developed an idea to create care bags for these patients.

We provided funding for a pilot scheme back in May 2022, which benefitted over 250 eligible patients, helping to combat the health inequalities they can face.

The tote bags contain sensory items and provide patients with information about the hospital in an accessible format, and a visible tag so clinical staff can refer them to the acute liaison team.

Following the success of the initiative, pioneered by LTHT, the team applied for additional funding from Leeds Hospitals Charity to roll out the project across even more departments.

Now, the care packs are available across all acute hospital departments for patients with learning disabilities and autism, with an average of 30 bags being given out a week, amounting to around 1,500 a year.

Bringing sweet treats to Leeds Children's Hospital

In August, we were able to fund a visit from Mr Whippy Leeds to the Children’s Hospital, bringing free ice creams to young patients and their families.

For patients unable to leave their wards, the Play Team stepped in to take orders and deliver ice creams right to their bedsides.

Moments like these help bring some happiness and joy to children and their families while in hospital.

Research Funding coming in May: Leeds Hospitals Charity Pre Application Support Fund

This new funding call offers 12 month awards to support aspiring researchers working in Stroke, MND, Cancer, Ophthalmology, or Radiotherapy.

The funding provides protected research time to support the development of a high quality grant application for your next career stage and is open to all registered professions, including doctors, AHPs, non medical clinicians, scientists etc. at pre doctoral, doctoral or post doctoral level.

Applicants will be able to book bespoke discussions with the team throughout May and June.

Application Deadline: 30 July 2026

Application Review: 27 August and outcomes shared in mid September.

Fellowships will start on 1 December 2026, 1 January 2027, or 1 February 2027

Further details and full application requirements will be shared when the call opens in May.

Application Process: Top Tips

When you submit a funding application it goes through a short but important review process. To help your chance of success, here’s what we check and a few simple tips to keep your application strong.

What we check:

• Eligibility: We confirm the project fits the specific funding opportunity you applied for.
• Supporting documents: We check that all required attachments are included and correctly completed.
• Trust processes and approvals: We make sure internal steps have been followed. For example Medical Physics, Corporate Planning or a formal Business Case where needed.
• Background checks and sense-checks: We do basic research to verify facts and value for money.
• Panel/Committee preparation: Applications and documents are prepared for review by the relevant panels, review groups or committees.

Tips for a strong application:

1. Follow the guidance: Read the specific fund’s instructions carefully and stick to word limits and formats.
2. Be clear and compelling: Explain what you want to do, why it matters with clear outcomes and evidence, and how you will measure success - don’t assume reviewers already know your work.
3. Get support early: Work with your CSU tri team (or the equivalent internal team) and other departments required for approvals and speak to the Grants Team about your idea.
4. Check costs and quotes: Make sure costings are accurate and include VAT where required. Attach up-to-date quotes.

Quick final checklist before you submit:

• Application follows the funding call guidance
• All supporting documents attached
• Costings and VAT confirmed
• Required Trust approvals requested/obtained
• Internal team (CSU tri-team or equivalent) informed

If you’re unsure about any part of the process, contact the Grants Team early - it’s much easier to fix issues before submission than afterwards.

2025/26 End of Year Wrap Up

As we close the 2025/26 financial year, we're delighted to share some of the highlights and collective achievements made possible through your hard work, creativity and commitment to improving care across LTHT.

This year, we’ve seen exceptional engagement with our funding opportunities, with over 200 applications submitted across all programmes and 152 projects funded.

Thanks to your efforts, £2.8 million has been invested directly into initiatives that enhance patient experience, support staff wellbeing and drive forward research and innovation.

From improvements to clinical and staff spaces, to projects that make hospital stays more comfortable, to pioneering research development - your ideas continue to create meaningful change for patients, families and staff.

We look forward to building on this momentum throughout the next 12 months with new funding calls, expanded support for applicants, and even more opportunities to turn great ideas into something impactful across the hospital.

Thank you for another inspiring year.

Leeds Hospitals Charity is proud to fund a range of projects across Leeds Teaching Hospitals to make a real difference to patients, families, and staff.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us via [email protected] and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Best wishes,

Becky, Charlotte, Alex, Jess & Andrea - Leeds Hospitals Charity Grants Team