Chimo’S MISSION is to restore hope and purpose to young people struggling with their mental health

 We back charities that harness the therapeutic powers of sport, nature or the arts to provide holistic mental health support to people under the age of 25.

We support and challenge our partners to develop programmes that are impactful, cost effective and scalable and we encourage and enable our partners to collaborate with each other.

Our goal is to invest £10 million over 10 years to develop a select portfolio of innovative charities with the combined potential to transform the mental health landscape for young people.









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WHY young people’s
mental health?


The crisis in young people’s mental health is alarming.

The rate of probable mental health disorders among young people in the UK has more than doubled in 5 years.

Many young people struggle to engage with traditional mental health treatments.

We support the development of non-clinical forms of community support knows as social prescriptions, which use sport, nature or the arts to deliver holistic mental health support.

Our goal is to restore hope and purpose to disconnected young people and put them back on a path to a healthy and productive future


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WHAT ARE SOCIAL PRESCRIPTIONS?


There is no silver bullet to mental health.

Talking therapies and medication are traditional first lines of treatment but don’t work for everyone.

This creates an opportunity for an alternative approach.

Non-clinical forms of community support can have a huge benefit on people’s health and wellbeing.  

These forms of support are known as social prescriptions.

The NHS has put social prescribing at the heart of its long term plan.


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What we fund


We invest in charities that deliver holisitic mental health support to young people by harnessing the therapeutic powers of the arts, sport and nature to deliver therapy that doesn’t fell like therapy.

Our aim is to provide sustainable funding to a select portfolio of charities.

The purpose of our funding is to encourage and enable our charities to do more.
 
We want to create a community of best practice amongst our portfolio of charities and encourage them to collaborate with each other.


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CHARITY PARTNERS


We have invested £1.2 million into 13 charities in our first two years.

Our charity partners support thousands of young people from diverse backgrounds from across the country with a wide range of mental health issues.

We prioritise charities that:

  •  use the arts, sport or nature to deliver holistic mental health support to young people;

  • can evidence their impact;

  • have the ambition and capability to expand their reach;

  • are prepared to share best practice with other charities in the Chimo portfolio.

Our next grant giving round will be in early 2025.


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WHO WE ARE


Our trustees bring together different experiences from careers in mental healthcare, investment, business, politics and the charitable sector into a shared vision to grow the depth and breadth of support available to young people experiencing mental health challenges in the UK.


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CONTACT US


info@chimotrust.org


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Support US


If, like us, you are struck by the crisis in young people’s mental health and want to support our work, please make a donation.


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The word ‘Chimo’ is believed to mean a “special friend for people in need” in the ancient language of the Inuit people of Northern Canada.

It is said that when the Inuit would greet each other with the word ‘Chimo’ they would simultaneously circle their hearts with their left hands.