Breath of Life Fund

The Breath of Life Fund supports organisations in North Staffordshire that are helping people with breathing difficulties or working to combat and research respiratory diseases. The fund provides grants of up to £2,000 for organizations based in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, or the Staffordshire Moorlands. The fund supports research into the causes, prevention, diagnosis, cures and treatments of respiratory diseases, and also provides equipment for use in research and by patients, whether in hospitals, clinics, GP surgeries or at home. Eligible projects include those that increase or enhance services to those with breathing difficulties, make organisations more efficient or sustainable, improve facilities for service users, or provide projects that alleviate or ease symptoms. The fund supports constituted community groups, voluntary groups, registered charities, social enterprises, and statutory agencies. Funding can be used for core costs, equipment costs, capital costs, training costs, and event costs. The Breath of Life Fund has a proven track record of supporting respiratory health initiatives, including part-funding international research that pinpointed genes causing asthma, supplying advanced diagnostic machines to Royal Stoke University Hospital, and providing breathing monitors and equipment for babies and children at home. The fund also supports young people with Cystic Fibrosis and has produced information leaflets for patients with COPD and lung cancer.