A group of pregnant women sitting in a circle, smiling and talking together in a bright room.
Grants

Maternity Equity Investing in preventative maternity equity support

This grant is coming soon

Investing in preventative maternity equity support

The Maternity Equity Fund will support organisations delivering preventative maternity support during pregnancy and birth. It will help organisations improving access, experience and outcomes, and those that are open to learning, partnerships, and shared practice. This includes knowledge exchange with health professionals and other funded organisations.

The Fund aims to reduce unfair and avoidable maternity inequities by: 

  • improving access, experience and outcomes during pregnancy and birth.  
  • strengthening trusted community-led organisations delivering preventative, trauma-informed and culturally-safe maternity support. 
  • building and sharing learning about what works to improve maternity equity, influencing wider practice and systems over time.  

We’re committed to funding work that is rooted in communities and built on trust, shaped by lived experience, and is inclusive, accessible, and strengths-based.

The Maternity Equity Fund is part of our Getting Started programme, which supports early intervention from conception up to and including birth, helping give babies and families the best start in life. 

What we’re looking to fund

Your organisation will support improved outcomes for any of the following three groups: 

  • Communities experiencing the greatest maternity inequities including Black, Asian, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. 
  • Communities in geographical areas of highest deprivation, including in rural areas. 
  • People experiencing complex and multiple disadvantages, including existing and antenatal mental health needs. 

You will also: 

  • Have proven experience of working with communities facing maternity inequities.
  • Contribute to improving maternity equity, including access to services, experience of care, dignity, decision making or outcomes during pregnancy and birth. 
  • Focus on conception up to and including birth, tackling inequity early to improve experience and outcomes. 
  • Be trauma-informed and culturally-safe, recognising the impact of racism, trauma, poverty and exclusion on maternity experiences. 
  • Be grounded in lived experience with meaningful involvement in design and delivery of leadership of the work, and strong community trust. 
  • Use evidence to show impact in a way that is proportionate to your organisation’s size and capacity. 
  • Contribute to shared learning, including engaging with partners, and be open to sharing learning through the Fund and wider sector. 
A group of pregnant women sitting in a circle, smiling and talking together in a bright room.

Webinar

Sign up to our webinar 2 September 2026, 1:30-2:30 pm

We’ll be hosting a live webinar where you can find out more about this fund.

We’ll answer questions about what we’re looking to fund, who’s eligible, and how to apply.

A recording and transcript will be available on this page if you’re unable to attend the live event.

Sign up to our webinar

Funding guidelines

  • Grant amount: £61,600 in year one and £61,700 in years two and three (£185,000 total)
  • Organisation will be asked to use at least £2,500 – £5,000 of the grant on staff wellbeing each year (depending on size of organisation). 
  • Flexible funding – we give flexible grants to charitable organisations to deliver and strengthen their work. 
  • Organisations whose work includes postnatal services can apply; however, funding will be restricted to preventative project costs only. 
  • Organisations can only submit one application for this Fund. 
  • Henry Smith Foundation will work with organisations to provide capacity building, learning, support, and relationship-building beyond the grant funding.

Eligible organisations are charitable organisations registered in and working in the UK, including:  

  • Registered charities and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) 
  • Community Interest Companies (CICs) that are not-for-profit with an asset lock 
  • Other not for profit charitable organisations delivering work aligned with our strategy
  • Annual income (as shown in your most recent published accounts): must be between £20,000 and £1.5 million 
  • Location: activity must take place within the UK and focus on communities experiencing the greatest maternity inequities, including marginalised communities and communities in areas of highest deprivation, including rural areas. 
  • Application deadline: Expression of Interest closes  14 October 2026, 5pm

Application process

Applications will open on 3 September 2026, 9am.

How to apply

  • Take our simple online eligibility quiz to find out whether your organisation is eligible to apply. Eligible organisations will be able to submit an expression of interest. Expression of Interests open from Thursday 3 September 2026, 9am. 
  • Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). The deadline to submit your EOI is Wednesday 14 October, 5pm.  
  • We will contact you during the week beginning 9 November 2026 to tell you whether you should submit a full application. If we decide not to invite you to apply, we will explain why in writing. We review hundreds of Expressions of Interest, so unfortunately, we cannot provide detailed feedback. 
  • Submit a full application. If you’re invited to this stage, we’ll ask more detailed questions about your work. Deadline: Friday 4 December, 5pm.  
  • You’ll have a phone conversation with a member of our team between 7-18 December 2026. 
  • We’ll make around 35 grants following the full application stage and let you know if you’ll receive one by 5 February, 2027.

How can we help?

Suggestions

Featured grants

Results

    The image contains the text HENRY SMITH FOUNDATION in pink, bold capital letters.
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping us to understand which sections of the website you find most useful and interesting.

    You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left hand side.