The Merseyside Women’s Fund managed by the Community Foundation for Merseyside continues its vital work to support and uplift women and girls across the region. This year, the fund awarded 11 grants totalling £66,618 to female-led projects that make a tangible difference in local communities.
2025 Funded Projects
- Fortuna Female Society (Halton) – £6,750 – Providing 150 hours of 1-to-1 counselling for women affected by domestic abuse
- Beautiful New Beginnings (Liverpool) – £7,000 – Offering a baby massage course to support new mothers with essential care and connection
- Girls Friendly Society (Liverpool – Aigburth & Anfield) – £5,000 – Supporting group coordinator salaries, venue hire, and volunteer costs for activities that empower young girls
- The Martin Gallier Project (Wirral) – £7,000 – Funding the salary of a domestic violence and relationship expert to support women in crisis
- Collective Encounters (Liverpool) – £3,691 – Delivering group and individual therapy tailored for BAME women in Liverpool
- Home-Start Southport & Formby (Sefton) – £4,800 – Expanding their counselling service to reach more women in need
- Movema (Liverpool) – £6,921 – Promoting health, wellbeing, and community through inclusive dance and movement sessions for refugee women, asylum seekers, and women facing mental health challenges
- RASA Merseyside (Sefton) – £4,892 – Running 20 clinical hypnotherapy groups focused on building confidence and self-esteem for survivors of sexual trauma
- Women’s Enterprising Breakthrough (Wirral) – £6,564 – Enhancing capacity through additional trauma-informed specialist worker time
- Our House Community (Liverpool) – £7,000 – Employing a part-time Wellbeing Support and Outreach Worker to focus on trauma recovery, wellbeing, and reducing isolation
- Maternity Action (Liverpool) – £7,000 – Expanding outreach in areas with low access to the Maternity Rights Advice Service, supporting up to 250 women
Established in 2018 with funding from the Tampon Tax, the Merseyside Women’s Fund has now distributed over £900,000 to support women across the region. Priorities were identified through in-depth engagement with over 40 women-led community groups are:
- Supporting survivors of domestic violence and abuse
- Improving mental health and wellbeing
- Reducing social isolation
- Building confidence and resilience
In 2023, renewed funding from partners—including Merseyside Women of the Year Awards, Lancashire EVAs, the John Laing Charitable Trust, and the FredMill Trust Fund—reinvigorated the fund. Since then, an additional £331,996 has been distributed to 48 female-led groups, all designing services specifically tailored to the needs of women and girls.
Together, these initiatives are creating lasting change and empowering women to thrive in Merseyside.
For more information, visit cfmerseyside.org.uk
Image: WHISC Community Group
