Resource list · links checked Oct 29, 2026
UK funders, open calls & research: who funds children’s resilience.
The UK funders behind research on children’s development, mental health and resilience, the calls they have open, the research they fund, and a live feed that renews itself.
Please read: These are independent institutions, listed as a resource for donors and researchers interested in children’s development. None of them is affiliated with this site, with Professor Masten or with the Navid Izadi School campaign, and none has reviewed or endorsed this page. This site does not act for Professor Masten, and she has not asked for or reviewed this list.
Live feed
What’s new in UK funding, right now.
Pulled automatically from public sources and refreshed every 3 hours, with no manual updates. Listing is not an endorsement; check every call on the funder’s own page.
Youth-related calls at ESRC, MRC & AHRC
Open UKRI Funding Finder calls that mention children, young people, families, schools or education.
- No youth-specific calls open at ESRC, MRC or AHRC right now. Search all open calls in the UKRI Funding Finder. Open the source (opens the source in a new tab)
Source: UKRI Funding Finder (ESRC, MRC and AHRC, open) (opens the source in a new tab)
New UK-funded resilience research
Recent papers on resilience in children and youth that credit a UK funder, from Europe PMC.
- Wellbeing While Waiting: Effectiveness and implementation of youth social prescribing for young people awaiting CAMHS support (opens the source in a new tab)European child & adolescent psychiatry · Funding: Economic and Social Research Council, Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health and Care Research · Jul 9, 2026
- Building resilience to chronic pain during childhood: The Situate - Experience - Learn - Feel (SELF) Framework (opens the source in a new tab)Clinical psychology review · Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research, Medical Research Foundation · Feb 26, 2026
- Improving child mental health and learning outcomes and reducing stigma and discrimination in conflict setting: findings from a cluster randomized controlled trial of a classroom-based psychosocial intervention in… (opens the source in a new tab)Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · Funding: Economic and Social Research Council · Jan 25, 2026
- Adolescent Social Capital as a Source of Resilience against Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Times of Crisis: Longitudinal Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic (opens the source in a new tab)Journal of youth and adolescence · Funding: Economic and Social Research Council · Dec 4, 2025
- Factors associated with mental health resilience in the child, adolescent and adult offspring of depressed parents: A systematic literature review (opens the source in a new tab)Journal of affective disorders reports · Funding: Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council · Dec 1, 2025
- Relationship between poverty and symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents in Nepal: Examining the mediating effect of external and internal resilience (opens the source in a new tab)Journal of affective disorders · Funding: Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health and Care Research · Nov 1, 2025
Newly funded UK projects & grants
Child- and youth-related awards from UKRI Gateway to Research and 360Giving data.
- Grant to Children Heard and Seen (opens the source in a new tab)Children Heard and Seen · Esmée Fairbairn Foundation · £120,000 · Oct 8, 2026
- Grant to Right to Succeed (opens the source in a new tab)Right to Succeed · Esmée Fairbairn Foundation · £400,000 · Sep 15, 2026
- Grant to The Kite Trust (opens the source in a new tab)The Kite Trust · Esmée Fairbairn Foundation · £300,000 · Sep 2, 2026
- Trajectories: The social science of developmental pathways to health from preconception to childhood in South Africa (opens the source in a new tab)KING'S COLLEGE LONDON · UKRI FLF · £595,440 · Aug 30, 2026
- Grant to 4FRONT (opens the source in a new tab)4FRONT · Esmée Fairbairn Foundation · £20,000 · Aug 6, 2026
- TASK to The Children's Society (opens the source in a new tab)The Children's Society · Esmée Fairbairn Foundation · £5,000 · Jul 16, 2026
Source: UKRI Gateway to Research and 360Giving GrantNav (opens the source in a new tab)
Nuffield Foundation youth funding news
Nuffield Foundation funding announcements about children, young people and education.
- New grants of up to £500,000 to build evidence on helping young people facing barriers to work (opens the source in a new tab)Nuffield Foundation · Sep 8, 2026
Source: Nuffield Foundation news (opens the source in a new tab)
Feed data as JSON. If a source is unavailable, the last copy that loaded is shown and marked. UKRI, Europe PMC, Gateway to Research, 360Giving and the Nuffield Foundation publish this data; none of them runs or reviews this page.
Open now
Calls with published deadlines.
Open UK calls relevant to children and young people, with the deadline each funder listed on Oct 29, 2026. Deadlines and terms can change; the funder’s page is the final word.
- NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research: October 2026 (opens the funder’s page in a new tab)NIHR, with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child HealthCloses Dec 2, 2026, 1:00 pm UK timeInvites programmes of research to transform children and young people’s health, care and wellbeing.
- NIHR Public Health Research: researcher-led (opens the funder’s page in a new tab)NIHR Public Health Research ProgrammeCloses Dec 8, 2026, 1:00 pm UK timeOutline applications on non-NHS interventions that affect health and health inequalities.
- Essential Employment Skills Fund (opens the funder’s page in a new tab)Nuffield FoundationOutline deadline Dec 10, 2026 · up to £500,000Evidence on helping young people facing significant barriers to work build essential employment skills.
- Main Grants (Research, Development and Analysis Fund) (opens the funder’s page in a new tab)Nuffield FoundationOutline deadline April 2027 · up to £500,000Research that addresses the foundation’s priorities and aims to improve lives in the UK.
- Research Project Grants (opens the funder’s page in a new tab)The Leverhulme TrustOutline applications: no deadline · up to £500,000Applicant-led research projects at UK universities and eligible research organizations.
Funders
UK funders of children’s research.
Public and charitable funders whose remits cover children’s health, development, mental health or education, each with a link to its own site and current calls. Eligibility, deadlines and amounts are set by each funder.
Public research funders UK government
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)UKRI research councilThe UK’s main public funder of social and economic research, including research on children, families, education and wellbeing.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)UKRI research councilPublic funder of medical research, including mental health. It delivered UKRI’s adolescence, mental health and developing mind programme.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)UKRI research councilFunds arts and humanities research; a partner in the adolescence, mental health and developing mind programme.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)Health and care researchFunds health, public health and social care research, with programmes open to research on children and young people.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
Charitable foundations and trusts Independent
- WellcomeCharitable foundationFunds research on human life, health and wellbeing; mental health is one of its stated priorities.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- Nuffield FoundationCharitable trustFunds research and analysis that aims to improve lives for individuals, families and communities across the UK.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- The Leverhulme TrustCharitable trustResearch Project Grants for researchers at UK universities, on topics they choose within the trust’s remit.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- The British AcademyNational academyThe UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences, with grants and fellowships for researchers.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- MQ Mental Health ResearchResearch charityA charity that funds mental health research; its project list includes work with children and adolescents.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- Medical Research UK (formerly Medical Research Foundation)Research charityFunds research into neglected health conditions; its recent calls include children and young people’s health.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- Youth Endowment FundCharityFunds and evaluates work in England and Wales to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
- Esmée Fairbairn FoundationCharitable foundationGrants for charitable work in the UK; its published grants include organizations working with children and families.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)Current calls (opens the funder’s calls page in a new tab)
Outside the UK International
- Jacobs FoundationFoundation (Switzerland)Funds research on how children learn and develop; it posts its own calls for proposals, so check its site for current ones.Funder site (opens the funder’s site in a new tab)
Funded research
Research these funders pay for.
A UK programme and a study on resilience in young people, plus searches of the public records of what UK funders have funded.
- Adolescence, mental health and the developing mind (opens an external site in a new tab)UKRI programme · MRC with AHRC and ESRCA £35 million programme (2019 to 2026) funding research on how mental health problems emerge in young people, what makes some more susceptible or resilient than others, and how to intervene early.
- Resilience in Education and Development (RED) (opens an external site in a new tab)MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CambridgeA longitudinal study of what helps children do well at school despite socioeconomic disadvantage.
- UKRI-funded projects on resilience and children (opens an external site in a new tab)Gateway to Research searchUKRI-funded projects matching “resilience children”, with lead organization, funder and award value.
- UKRI-funded projects on resilience and young people (opens an external site in a new tab)Gateway to Research searchThe same search for “resilience young people”.
- Papers on youth resilience with UK funders (opens an external site in a new tab)Europe PMC searchPublished research on resilience in children and adolescents that credits Wellcome, MRC, ESRC, NIHR or the Nuffield Foundation.
- UK grants data from hundreds of funders (opens an external site in a new tab)360Giving GrantNavSearch the grants UK funders publish openly, including foundations that fund work with children and families.
University of Oxford
Oxford: research centers & giving.
Research groups on child and adolescent mental health, child development and children in care, plus the university’s own giving pages.
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry group, Department of Psychiatry (opens a University of Oxford page in a new tab)Research centerResearch on prevention, early intervention and the systems that shape young people’s mental health, from climate change to digital life.
- Oxford Centre for Emerging Minds Research, Department of Experimental Psychology (opens a University of Oxford page in a new tab)Research centerResearch with children and young people on preventing and treating emerging mental health problems, including child anxiety.
- Child Development and Learning group, Department of Education (opens a University of Oxford page in a new tab)Research centerResearch on children’s language, literacy and math learning, early-years provision and parents’ engagement.
- Rees Centre, Department of Education (opens a University of Oxford page in a new tab)Research centerResearch on children’s social care and education, aimed at better outcomes for children in care and children in need.
- Department of Paediatrics: research (opens a University of Oxford page in a new tab)Research centerChild health research, from laboratory science to clinical trials.
- Department of Paediatrics: giving to the department (opens a University of Oxford page in a new tab)Giving pageThe department’s own page on how gifts support its child health research.
- University of Oxford: Giving (opens a University of Oxford page in a new tab)Giving pageThe university’s giving home and the Oxford Excellence campaign, whose priorities include health.
University of Cambridge
Cambridge: research centers & giving.
Research on families, play, child mental health and resilience at school, plus the university’s philanthropy pages.
- Centre for Child, Adolescent and Family Research (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Research centerFormerly the Centre for Family Research: interdisciplinary research on infant, child and adolescent mental health and development.
- PEDAL Centre, Faculty of Education (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Research centerResearch on play in education, development and learning, and how it can inform practice and policy.
- PEDAL Hub (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Research centerPEDAL’s public site, with projects and a resource library on play, health and learning for families and educators.
- Faculty of Education (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Research centerThe faculty that houses PEDAL and other research on children’s learning and development.
- Department of Psychiatry (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Research centerIts research includes child and adolescent mental health, through the ChARM group.
- Professor Tamsin Ford, Department of Psychiatry (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Research centerProfessor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and head of the department; her page describes the ChARM group’s research on services and interventions for young people’s mental health.
- Resilience in Education and Development (RED), MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Research centerA longitudinal study of what helps children do well at school despite socioeconomic disadvantage.
- Support Cambridge: Cambridge Children’s Hospital (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Giving pageGiving page for a planned children’s hospital that joins physical and mental health care with a research institute.
- Support Cambridge (opens a University of Cambridge page in a new tab)Giving pageThe University of Cambridge’s philanthropy home, with ways to give.
Cambridge University Press
Her books with Cambridge University Press
- Risk and Protective Factors in the Development of Psychopathology (1990; co-editor) (opens Cambridge University Press in a new tab)
- Realizing the Potential of Immigrant Youth (2012; co-editor) (opens Cambridge University Press in a new tab)
- The Hidden Talents Framework (2023, Cambridge Elements; co-author) (opens Cambridge University Press in a new tab)
Publisher pages, as on her books page.
From her CV
Her UK ties, on the record
- In September 2000 she gave a keynote, “Resilience in Children Exposed to Severe Adversity: Models for Research and Action,” at the international meeting “Children in Adversity” at Oxford University.
- In January 2023 she gave an invited address (virtually), “Resilience in Disaster: Multisystem Perspectives,” in University College London’s EPICentre seminar series on disaster resilience.
- Her CV lists the Medical Research Council (UK) and the Nuffield Foundation (UK) among the organizations she has reviewed for.
- She spoke at summer schools in Syros, Greece, in 2008 and 2014 that the Jacobs Foundation supported.
All from her University of Minnesota CV (opens a PDF on the University of Minnesota site in a new tab). None of these makes her part of any institution or funder listed above.
About this list
These are independent institutions, listed as a resource for donors and researchers interested in children’s development. None of them is affiliated with this site, with Professor Masten or with the Navid Izadi School campaign, and none has reviewed or endorsed this page. Every link was checked on Oct 29, 2026; the live feed renews itself every 3 hours. Institutions change their pages; if a link breaks, start from the institution’s home page. Gifts to the Navid Izadi School go only through the Moms Against Poverty campaign page.