Public Health Grassroots Awards

Are you looking to develop your research skills? 

Our next Public Health Grassroots Award funding call is likely to open in November 2026.

Public Health Grassroots Awards are personal, short-term (typically 3–6 months) awards for colleagues with little to no research experience working in local authorities, non-NHS providers, or voluntary community and social enterprises (VCSEs) delivering services on behalf of a local authority.  

Funding allows individuals to undertake training or activities to increase their research skills, knowledge and confidence. Activities include undertaking a university module; online or in person training courses; attending a relevant UK conference or buying out time from their salary to shadow a research team in another organisation.  

Applicants source the most relevant activity to meet their needs. The award is paid to their employing organisation.  

We held two funding calls in 2025, and awarded:  

• 16 local authority staff members  

• 17 VCSE staff members  

Vision

The vision for the Public Health Grassroots Award is to foster a culture of research within public health at the grassroot level, empowering more individuals to contribute to innovative and informed practices that improve public health and reduce inequalities.   

By offering short-term, part-time funding, the award is focused on equipping individuals in public health with the research skills necessary to enhance their impact and contribute to evidence-based practices, with support from local and national infrastructure.  

Key priorities of the award are to:  

1. Widen research engagement: The award aims to stimulate interest and activity in public health research among professionals who might not traditionally have access to such opportunities. Applicants do not need to have had any previous research experience, and for some will be the first step in their research journey.

2.  Inclusive research engagement: The award is designed to actively address and mitigate challenges and barriers that some may face in becoming research active. The award can be used to provide supplementary resource for childcare, accessibility support (e.g., British Sign Language), or other needs that might otherwise prevent professionals engaging in research activity.

3. Choice: The award can fund participation in a range of research activities. The funding is not restricted to one type of activity. Awardees source and undertake activity/activities that best suit their professional needs. The choice of applicable activities is provided on the award description page.