6 new community groups selected to receive research support and funding from York St John University 

York St John University’s research institutes have selected 6 community organisations as the recipients of the latest round of our impactful Community Research Grants (CRGs). 

Established in 2022 by the University’s Institute for Social Justice (ISJ), the CRG programme invites Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) to propose issues that are important to them and would benefit from a research collaboration. Successful applicants are then partnered with our researchers, combining their knowledge and expertise to investigate issues that matter to local people and develop practical solutions.  

The 2026 / 2027 ISJ grant recipients are as follows: 

• Coast and Vale Community Action to explore how changes to familiar places affect people’s sense of belonging and identity. Drawing on the concept of ‘solastalgia’(the feeling of loss caused by changes to the place we call home) Scarborough residents will share their experiences and hopes for the town’s future. 

• Youth Work Unit Yorkshire and the Humber  to evaluate and map democratic educational tools to help young people prepare for votes at 16 democratic participation. The research will identify and test existing educational resources, assessing how well they meet the needs of different youth work settings, and where improvements are needed. 

• Together Women the project will examine how far right messages of fear, protection and victimhood can influence women and girls experiencing violence, potentially increasing their risk of offending and involvement with the criminal justice system. By working with women and frontline practitioners, the project aims to identify opportunities for earlier intervention and better support. 

• The Mental Shift to develop a co-participatory impact measurement framework for a community-based martial art and mentoring charity supporting boys aged 11–18. The project will create a research handbook and assessment tools to help the charity understand how its programmes support young people experiencing challenges such as poor mental health, low confidence, school disengagement and exploitation risks. 

Charlee Bewsher, Strategy Manager, Youth Work Unit Yorkshire and the Humber said: 

“We’re excited to embark on a new project working with Dr Carole Pugh and young peer researchers from across the region to review democratic education resources.   

“The YWU has supported young people for over a decade to campaign for Votes at 16, we have heard repeatedly that young people want to feel more confident and informed, and this is a wonderful opportunity to identify what works in informal educational settings whilst upskilling young people.”   

The scheme offers up to £10,000 per grant with a total of £245,000 invested into 30 different projects across Yorkshire and the Humber so far.  

For 2026, the Institute for Health and Care Improvement (IHCI) has joined the scheme in partnership with Scarborough Coastal Health and Care Research Collaborative (SHARC).    

The 2026 / 2027 IHCI /SHARC grant recipients are as follows:  

• Sparks Project (Scarborough) to better understand the impact of its community-based Pop-Up Health Hubs.  

• Dementia Forward (North Yorkshire) to explore how services and support for people living with dementia on the North Yorkshire coast can be designed around their needs and experiences. 

Jill Quinn MBE, CEO of Dementia Forward, said: “At Dementia Forward, we have always believed in a ‘local for local’ approach, making sure people living with dementia and their families can access the right support within their own communities.    

“Coastal and rural communities can face particular challenges in accessing services and staying connected, so this research is a valuable opportunity to listen directly to people living with dementia and those who support them, and better understand what they need from us.  

“We’re delighted to be working with York St John University to build the evidence that will help us shape services around those experiences. Ultimately, we want what we learn to lead to practical improvements and ensure people affected by dementia on the North Yorkshire coast feel supported, informed and included.”  

Professor Garry Tew, Director of York St John University’s Institute for Health and Care Improvement, said: “The Community Research Grants offer a fantastic opportunity to bring community organisations, the NHS and university researchers together to develop research that is genuinely relevant to local communities. We’re looking forward to seeing what these two projects can contribute to improving health and wellbeing on the Yorkshire coast.” 

Trevor Mahon, SHARC Programme Manager, added: “One of the things we have always wanted SHARC to do is make sure research starts with the issues that matter to our communities, rather than simply being done about them.  

“The VCSEs already have a wealth of knowledge and experience from working directly with local people. Bringing that together with the research expertise at York St John gives us a real opportunity to better understand what works and use that evidence to make a difference.”   

The research partnerships will begin their work in October 2026 and continue until July 2027.  

Read more about the CRG programme Community research grants | York St John University