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Funding Calls

Through our funding calls we aim to improve patient outcomes through healthcare provided by NHS staff who feel valued, by awarding grants which support one of our four funding priorities.

Funding Calls

SHC Funding Programme 2025 - 2026

Supporting Caring & Cared for Staff

£75,000 available – minimum application value £5,000
Funding Call opens March 17, 2025
Funding Call closes May 1, 2025
Review and decisions between May 5 and May 22
Outcome notification and awards May/June


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Supporting Caring & Cared for Staff

Staff are the backbone of the NHS in England and it is crucial that they feel valued and supported. However, there is evidence of rising long term mental health absence and increased levels of burnout across the NHS, impacting all staff groups. The annual NHS Staff Survey, together with several studies, reveals a situation which, in many respects, is getting more challenging, resulting in significant impact on staff and their patients:

  • Engaged staff are significantly less likely to make mistakes.

  • Staff experience has a direct impact on patient experience.

  • Depression and burn-out cause staff to withdraw emotionally.

  • High sickness absence is linked to high patient mortality.

The ongoing effects of the pandemic, recruitment and retention problems and the cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated issues around sickness rates, stress levels and levels of satisfaction at work. We're asking you for your ideas on how charitable funds can be used to best support you and your colleagues.

For more information, email our team grants@shct.nhs.uk or Start an application

Sheffield Hospitals Charity Travel Scholarship

For registered nurses, midwives and allied health professionals employed by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT only.

£10,000 available - Minimum value £500; Maximum value £5,000. 
Funding Call opens May 8, 2025
Funding Call closes June 16, 2025

Review and decisions between June 16 and June 30*. 
Outcome notification and awards July


*Shortlisted applicants will be required to deliver a short presentation to the Reviewing Panel.


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Sheffield Hospitals Charity Travel Scholarship

In partnership with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT, the Travel Scholarship Funding Call by Sheffield Hospitals Charity gives nurses, midwives and allied health professionals the opportunity to travel to other hospitals - anywhere in the world - to undertake a study on any aspect of patient care. 

Through this opportunity we wish to promote cross-learning and bring best practice back to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT. 

We are particularly interested in receiving applications seeking to improve practices in relation to patient infections, falls, pressure ulcer care, medicines management, enhanced care, dementia care, digital improvements, reducing health inequalities, or any clinical practice issues or innovations designed to enhance patient care. 

Successful applicants will be allocated a senior member of staff to act as a mentor/supervisor during their study.

For an application pack, please contact the Grants Team at grants@shct.nhs.uk 

If you wish to discuss your idea or if you require assistance with your application, please contact Elaine Coghill, STH Deputy Chief Nurse at e.coghill@nhs.net

Reducing Health Inequalities in Sheffield

 £100,000 available – minimum application value £5,000
Funding Call opens June 5, 2025
Funding Call closes July 17, 2025
Review and decisions between July 28 and September 18
Outcome notification and awards September/October


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Reducing Health Inequalities in Sheffield

Health Inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people. Health inequalities can involve differences in life expectancy, access to care, quality and experience of care, lifestyle choices and wider socio-economic factors, such as income/quality of housing. In Sheffield, despite the progress made in improving the health of the population, there are several health issues and health inequality markers where there is room for improvement, especially when compared to the National average.

As a result, we know that those in parts of Sheffield where those living there have lower average income live shorter lives, and have worse health, than those in more affluent areas. This was demonstrated in the well-known documentary ‘Fairness on the 83’, which showed how increasing poverty has a profound impact on health. Using the 83-bus route, the film showed that from Millhouses to Ecclesfield, life expectancy dropped by 10 years in the poorer areas, and healthy life expectancy dropped by 20 years. There is also a body of evidence which shows significant disparities affecting groups with specific shared characteristics, such as people from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and refugee backgrounds, or people with learning disabilities.

As principal charity for both Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Hospitals Charity is uniquely placed to identify, fund and set in motion initiatives which could significantly contribute to addressing health inequalities in Sheffield. Every great idea must start somewhere, start yours with us.

For more information, email our team grants@shct.nhs.uk or, once the funding call opens on June 5th 2025, you can Start an application

Dragons’ Den

Total funding allocation is £300,000. Applications welcome for up to £50,000 for exceptional/large-scale projects, or up to £25,000 for standard projects.

Key Dates: 

  • Webinar (information on funding round and opportunity to ask questions): 3rd November at 10am. You can join using this teams link.

  • Application deadline: 21st November 2025 at 23:59. 

  • Dragons’ Den Pitches: 13th-22nd January 2026

  • Awards: Mid-March 2026 

  • Project Kick-off: early April 2026

Projects should be completed (including evaluation) within 18 months of funding being awarded.


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Dragons’ Den

We are delighted to announce the third edition of Dragons' Den - a funding call designed for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to pump prime innovative ideas supporting improvement in patient care, and staff wellbeing.

This year's edition is funded in its entirety by Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

Applications are welcome for initiatives which:

• Support the quality and timeliness of cancer diagnosis and care

• Help us make better use of the resources we have for delivering healthcare

• Support patient centred experiences: improvements which will result in immediate clinical benefits (e.g. seen faster, reduced hospital stays/duration, improved outcomes)

• Support caring and cared-for NHS staff: staff wellbeing initiatives focused on upskilling, retaining or avoiding burn out

For full details of this competition, please refer to the Dragons' Den intranet page. If you have any questions about the process, please contact our Research & Innovation Coordinator in the Clinical Research and Innovation Office, Daniel Lawrence: Daniel.lawrence12@nhs.net

To submit an application, please follow this link.

Sheffield Hospitals Charity Research Call

Total funding allocation is £300,000 with a maximum application value of £50,000

The Sheffield Hospitals Charity Research Call will run between November 2025 and January 2026. Exact dates to be confirmed


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Sheffield Hospitals Charity Research Call

Sheffield Hospitals Charity is proud to support research and innovation across both Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust.

The charity’s core mission is to support Sheffield’s NHS and improve the lives of its patients and service users. A significant amount of our income is from grateful patients and the families and friends of those who have received care in our hospitals and community services. We know that most of our supporters want their donations to help bring about tangible improvements in patient care in Sheffield - both today and in the future.

With this in mind, this funding call will focus on supporting three distinct areas: translational research, widening participation and supporting research infrastructure.

A funding pot of £300,000 will be available, with funding apportioned equally against these three areas of focus.

All applications will be reviewed by the Sheffield Hospitals Charity Research Panel, which will be made up of Sheffield Hospitals Charity staff, and research staff from across both Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS FT, and the wider community. We will also endeavour to include a patient/ public representative to the Research Panel.