A new fund has been launched by Comic Relief and Walkers worth up to £1.7m that will award up to 12 charities grants of between £100,000 to £300,000. The funding is open to schemes that use the arts and comedy to challenge mental health stigma.

The funding is available for between 18 months and 30 months, and will support organisations that focus on early intervention and community-based approaches and have an income of between £75,000 and £10m. Applications can include a mixture of project delivery and core costs.

Demand is expected to exceed available funds, and Comic Relief has said that it will give priority to proposals that target people with ongoing experience of mental health issues, as well to proposals which offer opportunities to participate in creative activies rather than experiencing them as a spectator. 

Comic Relief also made clear that it will ensure funds are allocated across the UK. 

The deadline to submit proposals is 11am on 15 September. To find out more, The application form and guidance is available from Comic Relief's website.