Physical Health

1) Evidence-based, NICE recommended physical therapies for any of the groups below:

• People living with acute, chronic, or degenerative physical conditions

• People living with physical disabilities

• People recovering from life-changing injuries

These charities provide therapies such as physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes, etc.

We prioritise charities that provide these services free of charge or at highly subsidised prices.

Common reasons for ineligibility in this category: 

• Charities without a specialist focus on the above and instead serving a broad range of clients including individuals not affected by degenerative conditions, disability, or life-changing injuries. 

• Ineligible charities may also be mainly providing complementary physical therapies such as osteopathy or chiropractic therapy, or other therapies not routinely prescribed by NICE / NHS. 

2) Specialist, single-condition charities

Typically, these are national charities that provide information about a specific condition via nurse-led helplines and via digital and print materials. 

In this category, we prioritise charities that are members of the Patient Information Forum (PIF) and/or hold PIF Tick certification. Similarly, charities operating helplines are given preference if they are members of the Helplines Partnership or hold the Helplines Standard certification.

Common reasons for ineligibility in this category: 

• Charities with a broad focus on several conditions; or

• Charities mainly providing peer support; practical support such as non-nursing personal care, transport; leisure activities / social hubs; rather than specialist information and support for patients with a specific condition.  

3) Charities that provide direct healthcare services to marginalised communities

• Under this category we only support charities whose sole focus is to provide direct healthcare to marginalised communities. 

• Exceptionally, if funds allow, we may consider applications from homelessness charities with already established mobile healthcare clinics.

Common reasons for ineligibility in this category: 

• Charities without a specific focus on people experiencing homelessness, street sex workers, or vulnerable migrants.

4) Air ambulance charities (geographical restrictions apply, see Who can apply)

Common reasons for ineligibility in this category: 

• Charities that do not meet our location eligibility criteria. 

• The exclusions listed below relate specifically to the Physical Health programme. Before applying, please also consult our What we don't fund page for information on our more general exclusions which apply to all funding programmes.

The following charities are not eligible to apply:

Charities that provide information and support, and therapeutic interventions for the following:

• ADHD

• Autistic Spectrum Disorder

• Communication disorders

• Dementia

• Down syndrome

• Intellectual disability

• Learning disabilities

• OCD

If your charity is one of the following, you are not eligible to apply if:

• Your charity delivers services internationally - this programme is only open to UK-registered charities delivering services in the UK.

• You are a care home

• You are a cancer wellbeing charity

• You are a charity solely supporting carers

• You are a Community Centre / Community Group

• You are a Community Transport / Hospital Transport / Shopmobility charity

• You are a general health and wellbeing charity

• You are a homelessness charity that does not have a dedicated healthcare programme 

• You are a hospice (hospices can only apply for our Hospice Care programme)

• You are a hospital charity

• You are a Leisure Centre 

• You are a profession-specific charity (including military / veterans)

• You are a school (including SEN schools)

• You are a vision support charity providing reablement services (i.e. independent living services, assistive technology, home visiting, etc.)

• You are a volunteer-run charity

We aim for our funding to be as flexible as possible and we will contribute to the overall running of a service, however, the following activities are not eligible for support:

• Complementary therapies

• Sports and fitness activities that are not intended as specialist rehabilitation programmes such as specialist assisted gyms, hydrotherapy pools, etc.

• Therapies which are not evidence-based or NICE-recommended

• We support charities that address unmet needs, demonstrate sector expertise, and have a clear, well-defined strategy. We look for organisations with the skills and capacity to support their beneficiaries effectively, and that can clearly evidence the impact of their work on the communities they serve.

• For charities providing condition-specific information, we prioritise those that are members of the Patient Information Forum (PIF) and/or hold PIF Tick certification. Similarly, charities operating helplines are given preference if they are members of the Helplines Partnership or hold the Helplines Standard certification.

• We favour organisations whose services are delivered by qualified specialist professionals.

In considering applications from organisations that meet the above standards, we may prioritise charities that:

• Support individuals with life-limiting and / or degenerative conditions. 
• Are PIF Tick certified and / or Helplines Partnership members.
• Provide their services free of charge or at a highly subsidised rate.
• Are primarily reliant on charitable trusts and foundations.

Our assessment process page provides additional information on what we look for in our charity partners. 

Charities that closely meet the requirements outlined in the  What we fund and Funding priorities sections on this page, and only if they comply with our Funding exclusions listed on this page (and those listed in the What we don't fund page).

If you are not a close match for our funding objectives, please do not apply. 

We welcome applications from charities that meet the following requirements.

• UK registered charities delivering their services in the UK, with an annual income of less than £20m and with at least 5 years’ audited or independently examined accounts 

• Charities that provide single-disease specific information and support services

• Charities that directly provide healthcare to their beneficiaries (e.g. run clinics, offer therapies, rehabilitation services and support, etc.) and have a single focus on providing therapies to the groups outlined in the What we fund section on this page. We do not support charities that have a broad client group.  

• Air ambulance charities operating in South West England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland

Read our case studies below for examples of eligible charities. We also encourage you to contact us before applying if you are unsure about your eligibility. 

• Check your eligibility using the Eligibility Checker.

• If you are eligible, submit a brief Expression of Interest via our online application platform (you will be directed to the form once you have successfully completed the Eligibility Checker).

• If your request matches our funding priorities, and we think you have at least a 75% chance of being awarded a grant, we will invite you to submit a Full Application.

• Check the When to apply section below for the timings of each grant round.

You can find guidance and drafting documents below if you prefer to work offline and then submit your Expression of Interest / Full Application via our online portal.

Please note that the URL for the Expression of Interest online form changes daily. 

If you are not able to submit on the same day you access the form, we recommend drafting your answers offline using the document  and returning to the form by completing the Eligibility Checker again.

• Expression of Interest (guidance and drafting form)
• Full Application (guidance and drafting form)

Our financial year starts on 1st October and we hold three Board meetings a year. In 2025-26, these will be held in December, March, and June. 

From 2026-27 onwards, Board meetings will be held every four months in October, February, and June.

TIMELINES FOR  2025-26:

December 2025 Board meeting:

• Please submit your Expression of Interest between 07/07/2025 and 15/08/2025 (17:00hrs)
• Full Application invitations will be sent in the w/c 16/09/2025
• Full Application submission deadline: 10/10/2025 (17:00hrs)
• Full Application outcomes: w/c 08/12/2025

March 2026 Board meeting

• Please submit your Expression of Interest between 01/10/2025 and 05/11/2025 (17:00hrs)
• Full Application invitations will be sent in the w/c 15/12/2025
• Full Application submission deadline: 23/01/2026 (17:00hrs)
• Full Application outcomes: w/c 23/03/2026

June 2026 Board meeting:

Timelines TBC

We aim to ensure that our application process is straightforward and accessible. The documents below provide guidance on every question in the Expression of Interest and Full Application forms.  

You can apply directly on our online platform, or you may find it helpful to draft your answers in the drafting documents first, then copying and pasting them into the online forms when you are ready to submit.

• Expression of Interest (guidance for applicants & drafting document)

• Full Application (guidance for applicants & drafting document)

If you have any questions, please contact us at 0117 959 6496 or grants@jamestudor.org.uk. 

When we award you a grant, we ask you to sign our Terms and Conditions of funding. You can see these here.