We are thrilled to announce that Kyra has been awarded a generous grant from the Pilgrim Trust as part of their Young Women in Mind grant program. This funding will support our Steps into ROSE project, helping young women with mental health needs access the support they need to move forward.
Why This Matters
Young women are the highest-risk group for mental ill health, self-harming at more than twice the rate of young men. Many also face additional challenges such as lower income, caring responsibilities, domestic violence, and gender-based discrimination—factors that can worsen mental health struggles.
Yet, access to age and gender-specific mental health services remains limited, leaving many young women without the support they need.
The Young Women in Mind program, set up by the Pilgrim Trust in 2021, is working to change this by funding organisations that provide safe, trauma-informed, and gender-specific mental health support. Since its launch, the program has awarded over £4 million to charities across the Northeast, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber ensuring more young women can access life-changing services.
This year, the Pilgrim Trust has awarded over £1 million in funding to 11 charities—and we are incredibly grateful that Kyra is one of them.
How This Funding Will Help
At Kyra, we have been supporting young women’s mental health through our ROSE (Reaching Out, Supporting, Empowering) project since 2019. This programme provides dedicated support for young women at risk of, or recovering from, serious mental illness.
However, we know that many struggle to take the first step in accessing support due to severe mental health struggles, isolation, or lack of confidence.
With this new funding, we are launching Steps into ROSE, a programme designed to bridge the gap for young women who feel unable to engage with our existing services. The grant will allow us to:
- Employ a project led to oversee the initiative and develop personalised support strategies.
- Provide a neurodiversity coach to offer tailored guidance for young women who are neurodivergent or need extra support in accessing mental health services.
- Fund specialist counselling services to give young women the safe space they need to begin their journey toward recovery.
This funding means we can reach more young women in York who would otherwise feel unable to access vital support.
A photo from the ROSE group’s photography exhibition in 2023
A Huge Thank You to the Pilgrim Trust
We are incredibly grateful to the Pilgrim Trust for recognising the importance of gendered mental health services and for supporting our work at Kyra. Their commitment to improving young women’s mental health is making a real difference in communities across the UK. With their support, we can reach more young women who need a safe space to access tailored mental health support.
But there is still more to do. By donating, fundraising, or becoming a corporate sponsor, you can help ensure even more young women gain access to transformative programmes like Steps into ROSE. Your support allows us to continue offering life-changing courses that build resilience, improve mental health, and create lasting change.
To learn more about the Young Women in Mind programme and the charities awarded grants this year, visit the Pilgrim Trust’s website.
