Ten GSK IMPACT Award winners showcase outstanding work of voluntary and community sector in 2025

Ten small and medium sized charities have been named as winners of the 2025 GSK IMPACT Awards for their exceptional work improving health and wellbeing.

This year's awards were announced amid an increasingly challenging financial environment for charities. Despite this, the award judges were struck by the continued determination of the winners to meet the needs of their communities.

The ten winning charities took part in a rigorous selection and assessment process and were selected from a record number of award entries. Now in their 28th year, the GSK IMPACT Awards are delivered in partnership with leading health and care charity, The King’s Fund. The awards are designed to recognise the exceptional work of small and medium sized charities working to improve health and wellbeing in communities across the UK. The ten winners will receive £40,000 in unrestricted funding, as well as expert support and leadership development provided by The King’s Fund.

The ten winners of the 2025 GSK IMPACT Awards are:

• Action on Postpartum Psychosis, a national charity supporting mothers and their families affected by this severe but treatable mental illness in the days and weeks after giving birth.

• Common Youth, a Belfast-based charity providing confidential sexual health and contraception services for young people under 25 in Northern Ireland.

• George House Trust, supporting people living with HIV to live well across the North West.

• Helpforce, accelerating the impact of volunteering in health and care services to improve outcomes for patients and staff.

• Isle of Wight Youth Trust, providing youth mental health, wellbeing and practical support services and activities to young people and their families.

• Keighley Healthy Living, addressing health inequalities and improving the physical and mental wellbeing of the local community in Bradford, Keighley and Craven through lifestyle changes.

• Nilaari Agency, a Bristol-based charity providing culturally tailored mental health support to adults from Black, Asian and minoritised communities.

• Search: Services for Older People, supporting older people in Newcastle, particularly those experiencing poverty and ill health to live healthier, active and more independent lives.

• Stepping Stones North Wales, supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

• The Marie Trust, supporting the complex mental and physical health needs of people who are homeless in Glasgow including addiction, trauma and malnutrition.

One of the main goals of the GSK IMPACT Awards programme is to cultivate leaders within the charity sector. To achieve this goal, all winners are invited to take part in a tailored leadership programme run by The King’s Fund. After this, they are also invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network, a UK-wide network of 130 previous award winners who work together to develop leaders, find new ways of working and provide mutual support.

The 10 winning charities will receive their awards at a ceremony at The King's Fund on Thursday 15 May 2025. The overall winner will be announced on the night and awarded an extra £10,000.

Katie Pinnock, Director of UK and Ireland Charitable Partnerships at GSK, said: ‘This year’s GSK IMPACT Award winners are shining examples of how innovative thinking and tenacity can deliver crucial health and wellbeing support to vulnerable communities under immense pressure. By placing service users at the heart of their mission and through their commitment to measuring their impact, they are examples for the wider sector. Their exceptional work is testament to the transformative power of compassionate leadership and dedicated staff. We are immensely proud of all of them.’

Lisa Weaks, Senior Associate at The King’s Fund, said: ‘Every year we are impressed by the high standard of entries to the GSK IMPACT Awards, and this year is no exception. Charities are facing ever-increasing pressures, with tight finances and high demand for their services. Yet the perseverance and creativity of their leadership and staff is testament to the winners’ success. With health and care services under immense strain, these charities serve as the backbone of a wider support system for the most vulnerable people and communities across the UK.’

Notes to editors

Photos, interviews and case studies are available upon request. For further information please contact Gemma Umali, Senior Press and Public Affairs Manager at The King’s Fund on 020 7307 2585 or [email protected].

GSK IMPACT Awards  

• The GSK IMPACT Awards, run in partnership with The King’s Fund, are designed to recognise the outstanding work of community-based health care charities. For more information, visit https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/responsibility/charitable-investments/#UKInvestments 

• The awards are open to small and medium-sized charities working in health and wellbeing with an annual income between £150,000 and £3 million that are at least three years old. The 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards will open for applications on 1 July 2025. For more information and to apply visit www.kingsfund.org.uk/gskimpactawards.

• This year £430,000 in unrestricted prize money will be awarded to UK charities through the GSK IMPACT Awards. Five runners-up will receive £4,000 each. Ten winners will each receive £40,000 in unrestricted funding, film assets, a set of promotional photographs of their services, as well as access to training and development activities estimated to be worth £13,500. At the award ceremony at The King’s Fund in London on 15 May 2025, an overall winner will be announced and they will receive an extra £10,000, making a total of £50,000. The ten winning charities are also invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network, a UK-wide network of 130 previous award winners who work together to develop leaders, find new ways of working and provide mutual support.

• The 2025 winners went through a rigorous assessment, including a half-day in-depth discussion with an independent assessor, and were selected by a judging panel of health and charity experts.

• Since its inception in 1997, over 560 health and wellbeing charities have received a GSK IMPACT Award and funding totalling more than £8.9 million.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more at gsk.com   

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.