Today, People’s Health Trust announces a major new collaboration with the UK Government and leading men’s charity Movember aiming to improve the health of underserved men and older boys in England. Through this partnership, the Men’s Health Community Fund will invest at least £6.3 million in community and grassroots organisations working in the country’s most deprived areas, for men facing the worst health outcomes.
The Men’s Health Community Fund will support projects that help address the social and economic pressures driving poor health for men and older boys, during key moments of their lives such as the transition to fatherhood, job loss, or retirement, including challenges related to mental health, debt, housing, family relationships and income. By improving access to the essential building blocks of good health, the fund aims to improve wellbeing and contribute to longer-term gains in healthy life expectancy, employment participation and engagement with local services.
Government data shows that men in the most disadvantaged areas of the country can die up to 10 years earlier than men in wealthy areas. In addition, data shows that average healthy life expectancy among men in England has fallen to 60.9 years, the lowest rate in ten years, but it is as low as 50.9 years in some parts of the country – meaning the gap in male healthy life expectancy between the most and least affluent areas has reached nearly 19 years.
These inequalities are driven by unequal access to the building blocks of health among men including good housing, a secure income, clean air and good education. In addition, men are disproportionately affected by cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and suicide.
People’s Health Trust is proud to be a partner in this innovative programme with the Government and Movember. Our expertise in working with communities to improve health outcomes ensures we reach men at the sharp end of poor health. We design approaches that work for men and connect them with essential support through organisations and people they trust. This programme, along with our Men’s Health Fund Appeal, enables us to address the widening and avoidable inequalities in health experienced by different groups of men across the country. Improving men’s health is good for men, families, communities and businesses.
John Hume
CEO, People's Health Trust
Community and grassroots organisations, alongside family and friends, are among the most likely places that men seek help and talk about their health. They play a vital role in delivering support tailored to men, but they are under-resourced. Grants awarded by People’s Health Trust through the Men’s Health Community Fund will help organisations experienced in working with men and older boys to provide practical support around social and economic pressures, improve mental health, and reduce isolation.
This announcement is a big step forward for the government’s Men’s Health Strategy launched last year. The Fund will open for applications in summer 2026 with grants to be awarded later in the year.
This is part of People’s Health Trust’s wider work on men’s health, which includes the Men’s Health Fund Appeal. The Trust is seeking individuals, companies and philanthropic organisations to contribute to the Trust’s element of the Men’s Health Community Fund. For a limited period, all individual and corporate donations will be matched pound-for-pound by People’s Health Trust up to the first £300,000.
Too many men across the country are living shorter, less healthy lives – particularly those in our most disadvantaged communities.
This new partnership will help men get the support they need in the places they feel most comfortable – their communities, among people they trust. By working with expert charities and local organisations, we can reach the men who are too often missed by traditional services and help them take better care of their mental and physical health.
It is a key step in delivering our first ever Men’s Health Strategy and driving forward our ambition to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas.
Wes Streeting
Health and Social Care Secretary