Public Health Wales (PHW) has unveiled a two-year funding initiative designed to combat gambling-related harms throughout Wales. The newly established Gambling Harms Voluntary Sector Grant Fund will distribute up to £700,000 annually, providing grants of up to £75,000 to each participating organization per year.
Announced on 26 July, the funding program invites applications starting 31 August, with a closing date of 19 October 2026. It is geared toward voluntary, community, and social enterprise organizations that operate in Wales, with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) managing its administration.
PHW aims to direct funding toward targeted public campaigns that work to ‘de-normalize’ harmful gambling behaviors and implement prevention initiatives for higher-risk groups. Eligible projects can include community outreach programs and support services for those impacted by the gambling of others, along with innovative harm prevention strategies aimed at vulnerable populations.
The primary focus includes individuals facing financial difficulties, those involved with the criminal justice system, and people affected by someone else's gambling. PHW emphasized the significance of projects that generate sustainable preventative outcomes through awareness-raising, integrating lived experiences, or providing substantial evidence of effective interventions.
Catherine Miller, assistant director of grants and income at WCVA, expressed the organization's goals for the fund, stating, "We want the money to reach a wide range of voluntary sector organisations across the country and encourage groups working with at-risk populations to apply."
The funding initiative will prioritize organizations that have close ties to those most affected by gambling, thus aiming to fill gaps in early intervention and prevention efforts.
“This programme will support organisations closest to those most affected. It will deliver prevention and early intervention, focusing on addressing inequalities and reaching those most at risk of harm,” Helen Erswell, a consultant in public health for the Gambling-Related Harms Programme at PHW, explained.
Registered charities, community interest companies, voluntary groups, and social enterprises can apply, provided their activities are confined to Wales. Earlier this year, the UK government introduced its own two-year program, committing £25.4 million to gambling-harms prevention funding sourced from a statutory levy imposed on gambling operators since April of last year.
