The Henry Smith Foundation’s Domestic Abuse: Counselling Fund provides long-term funding for specialist organisations supporting people who have experienced domestic abuse. The fund recognises that recovery from abuse can take time, and that short-term counselling provision may not give survivors the continuity of support they need to rebuild their confidence, wellbeing and independence.
Grants are intended to help established organisations sustain specialist counselling services, allowing survivors to access person-centred, holistic and trauma-informed support over a longer period. Counselling provision must offer a minimum of 12 sessions, reflecting the funder’s focus on meaningful, ongoing recovery rather than short interventions.
The programme forms part of the Foundation’s Safer Futures programme, which supports organisations helping people rebuild their lives following abuse, displacement or imprisonment. Five of the anticipated 15 grants will be reserved for organisations providing counselling to children and/or young people.
Successful applicants will receive £250,000 over five years, equivalent to £50,000 per year. This provides a longer-term funding commitment that can help organisations maintain specialist provision and plan their services with greater stability.
Requirements:
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Organisation type: Must be a registered charitable organisation operating in the UK. Eligible structures include registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), not-for-profit Community Interest Companies (CICs) with an asset lock, and other eligible not-for-profit charitable organisations.
- Specialist experience: Must have at least three years’ experience delivering counselling to people who have experienced domestic abuse, alongside an established track record of providing specialist support.
- Income threshold: Annual income must be below £2 million, based on the organisation’s most recent published accounts.
- Geography: Organisations must be registered and working in the UK. National organisations can apply, so funding is not limited to a particular local authority area.
- Service focus: The organisation’s work must be centred on supporting people who have experienced domestic abuse, rather than primarily preventing abuse or working with perpetrators.
- Counselling provision: Services must be person-centred, holistic, trauma-informed and longer-term, offering at least 12 sessions.
- Existing organisations: The fund is intended to strengthen established services rather than establish new organisations or introduce entirely new work without an existing track record.
- Partnerships: Partnership applications are accepted, but the lead organisation must meet the eligibility criteria. Applicants should contact the Foundation before submitting a partnership application.
Faith-based organisations may be eligible where their primary purpose is community support rather than the advancement of religion. Organisations whose primary charitable objective is promoting religion are not eligible.
The fund is open to organisations supporting survivors of any gender or age. However, applicants should be aware that five grants are specifically reserved for services supporting children and young people.
Funding Priorities:
The fund is particularly interested in:
- Long-term recovery: Helping survivors access counselling for as long as they need it, rather than relying solely on short-term interventions.
- Specialist domestic abuse support: Services delivered by practitioners who understand the dynamics of domestic abuse and its impact on survivors.
- Trauma-informed practice: Counselling that recognises the lasting emotional and psychological effects of abuse.
- Person-centred support: Services that respond to each survivor’s circumstances, needs and pace of recovery.
- Holistic wellbeing: Supporting survivors to rebuild confidence, improve wellbeing and move towards greater independence.
- Children and young people: Specialist counselling provision for younger survivors, with five grants reserved for this area.
Organisations should be able to demonstrate that they have the experience and expertise to deliver specialist counselling, and that their services offer meaningful support beyond a brief intervention.
What They Will Fund:
The fund supports established specialist domestic abuse counselling services. The grant is designed to help sustain provision over five years, rather than pay for a single short-term project.
Potential uses include:
- Delivering longer-term counselling for survivors of domestic abuse, with a minimum of 12 sessions.
- Maintaining existing specialist counselling services.
- Supporting trauma-informed therapeutic provision.
- Sustaining services that help survivors rebuild confidence, emotional wellbeing and independence.
- Providing specialist counselling for children and young people.
- Supporting the ongoing delivery of holistic, person-centred counselling within an established domestic abuse service.
The grant offers a fixed amount of £50,000 per year for five years. Applicants do not need to request a specific amount or submit a budget to determine their award, as all successful organisations receive the same grant.
What They Won’t Fund:
The fund is not suitable for every organisation working in domestic abuse or wider mental health support. It is specifically intended for established specialist counselling services.
Funding is unlikely to be available for:
- New organisations or untested services without at least three years’ experience delivering counselling to domestic abuse survivors.
- Generic counselling services that do not provide specialist domestic abuse support.
- Short-term interventions that do not meet the fund’s minimum 12-session counselling requirement.
- Prevention-only work aimed at preventing domestic abuse before it occurs.
- Services primarily supporting perpetrators rather than people experiencing or recovering from abuse.
- Standalone sexual violence services where domestic abuse support is not also provided.
- Organisations established primarily to advance religion, including places of worship applying in their own right.
The fund is also not designed to establish entirely new services without an established track record. Organisations should check the full guidance before applying if their work combines domestic abuse counselling with other forms of therapeutic or community support.
How To Apply:
You can apply using the button below through their online application form.
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