Community groups across the UK will be able to apply for between £500 to £1,500 to deliver a standalone project, event or series of activities exploring how data can support their health and wellbeing in their communities between January – March 2026.
Health Data Research UK’s (HDR UK) Take the Lead community grants will enable communities across the UK to take the lead in exploring the role of data in their community’s health and wellbeing. In this programme, HDR UK are using a broad definition of ‘health data’ to be any data that can be used to understand more about all our health and wellbeing. This can be anything from someone keeping a health journal, through to tracking steps and on to data from NHS appointments (what we typically think of as health data at HDR UK). What one person may think of as health data and what it can be used for may be different from another. HDR UK want to celebrate and explore that collectively.
The funding call will be open for applications this September, with community groups able to apply for up to £1,500 to deliver a standalone project, event or series of activities exploring how data can support their health and wellbeing between January – March 2026. The application must be led by and embedded in community organisations primarily working with at least one of the following UK based under-served audiences:
- People with low socioeconomic status
- People from a minority ethnic background
- Older children and young adults aged between 11-25 (particularly in areas of deprivation)
- People aged over 65 (particularly in areas of deprivation)
- People living in rural areas (defined as a settlement of less than 10,000 people in England and Wales, less than 5,000 people in Northern Ireland and less than 3,000 people in Scotland)
- People experiencing digital exclusion
HDR UK will be looking for community-led proposals that take a responsive, inclusive and creative approach. Examples could be a community step challenge, data-inspired arts and crafts activities, or a project to help gather trustworthy data to advocate for a community’s health and wellbeing needs.
Take the Lead grants open in September 2025. Eligibility and guidelines will be shared then.
HDR UK are hosting an online Q&A session about the grants on 11 September at 2pm. Register here
There is an online application process