Deadline: 22-Jul-2026
The Resilience Fund is a Cornwall Council grant programme supporting organisations that help residents across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly improve long-term financial wellbeing. The fund supports projects that build practical skills, confidence, budgeting knowledge, digital inclusion, food budgeting, and financial resilience.
Individual organisations can apply for grants of £5,000 to £10,000, while partnership applications may request up to £30,000. The funding period is up to one year, with interim reporting required by mid-March 2027.
What is the Resilience Fund?
The Resilience Fund is a grant programme funded by Cornwall Council.
It supports organisations delivering practical support that helps residents strengthen their financial wellbeing and reduce the risk of future financial hardship.
The fund is focused on long-term resilience rather than short-term crisis payments.
Main Purpose of the Fund
The main purpose of the Resilience Fund is to help local residents build the skills and confidence needed to manage money more effectively.
The programme supports activities that improve financial capability, household budgeting, digital access to financial services, and practical everyday money management.
It aims to help people become more financially stable and better prepared to manage future pressures.
Geographic Focus
The fund supports projects benefiting residents in:
- Cornwall
- Isles of Scilly
Applicants should clearly show how their proposed activities will support people living in these areas.
Focus Areas and Priorities
The fund focuses on financial resilience and practical life skills.
Key focus areas include:
- Financial capability
- Long-term financial wellbeing
- Budgeting support
- Debt awareness
- Money management
- Income maximisation
- Benefit checks
- One-to-one financial guidance
- Household budgeting
- Cooking and nutrition sessions
- Low-cost meal planning
- Reducing food waste
- Food-related budgeting
- Digital inclusion
- Online benefits support
- Online banking skills
- Energy-saving advice
- Basic digital skills
- Financial confidence building
Key Concepts Explained
Financial Resilience
Financial resilience means having the knowledge, skills, confidence, and support needed to manage money and respond to financial pressures.
This may include budgeting, understanding debt, accessing benefits, reducing household costs, and planning ahead.
Financial Capability
Financial capability refers to a person’s ability to make informed decisions about money.
It includes practical skills such as budgeting, managing bills, understanding income and expenses, and knowing where to access support.
Income Maximisation
Income maximisation means helping people access the income and financial support they are entitled to.
This may include benefit checks, support with applications, signposting to grants, and advice on improving household income.
Digital Inclusion
Digital inclusion means helping people gain the skills and access needed to use digital tools and online services.
In this fund, digital inclusion should be linked to financial resilience, such as using online benefits systems, online banking, energy advice tools, or digital budgeting support.
Funding Amount
Individual organisations can apply for grants ranging from £5,000 to £10,000.
Groups applying in partnership can access up to £30,000.
Applicants should request a realistic amount based on the scale of the proposed activities, target group, delivery model, and expected outcomes.
Funding Period
The funding period is up to one year.
Interim reporting is required by mid-March 2027.
Applicants should plan activities, spending, monitoring, and reporting within this timeframe.
Eligible Activities
The Resilience Fund supports activities that help residents develop practical financial skills and confidence.
Eligible activities may include:
- One-to-one financial guidance
- Debt awareness sessions
- Money management advice
- Income maximisation support
- Benefit checks
- Budgeting sessions
- Practical money management training
- Household budgeting support
- Affordable cooking sessions
- Nutrition sessions
- Low-cost meal planning
- Reducing food waste
- Food budgeting support
- Support with online benefits systems
- Online banking skills
- Energy-saving advice
- Basic digital skills linked to money management
Activities should clearly connect to financial resilience outcomes.
Cooking and Nutrition Support
Projects may include affordable cooking and nutrition sessions.
These sessions should help residents make better use of limited household budgets.
Relevant activities may include low-cost meal planning, reducing food waste, comparing food costs, preparing affordable meals, and improving food-related budgeting.
The aim is to connect cooking and nutrition with wider financial wellbeing.
Digital Inclusion Support
Digital inclusion activities are eligible when they support financial management.
Relevant activities may include helping residents access online benefits systems, use online banking safely, find energy-saving information, compare costs, or develop basic digital skills.
Applicants should explain how digital support will improve financial confidence and resilience.
Eligible Costs
Funding can be used for costs directly linked to project delivery.
Eligible costs include:
- Staff salaries
- Session delivery costs
- Training for staff
- Training for volunteers
- Materials and resources
- Venue hire
- Core costs
- Overheads
Applicants should ensure that all costs are clearly justified and linked to the proposed financial resilience outcomes.
What the Fund Cannot Support
The fund cannot support activities or costs that do not align with financial resilience.
Ineligible costs include:
- Retrospective costs
- Capital purchases over £5,000
- Direct crisis payments
- Activities not linked to financial resilience outcomes
- Costs incurred before approval
- Activities without clear benefit to residents in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly
Applicants should avoid including costs that are not directly connected to the project’s resilience aims.
Who Can Apply?
The fund is designed for organisations that can deliver financial wellbeing and resilience activities for local residents.
Eligible organisations may include community groups, voluntary organisations, charities, social enterprises, advice organisations, local partnerships, and other community-based service providers.
Applicants should demonstrate the ability to work with residents experiencing financial pressure or at risk of future financial hardship.
Partnership Applications
Groups applying in partnership can request up to £30,000.
Partnership projects should clearly explain:
- Which organisations are involved
- What each partner will deliver
- How the partnership will reach residents
- How responsibilities will be managed
- How outcomes will be monitored
- How the project will improve financial resilience
Partnership applications should show added value compared with a single-organisation project.
How the Fund Works
Organisations apply for funding to deliver practical financial resilience activities.
Projects should support residents to build skills, confidence, and long-term financial stability.
Funded organisations will deliver activities during the approved funding period and submit interim reporting by mid-March 2027.
Reports should show progress, activities delivered, residents supported, outcomes achieved, and spending against the approved budget.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a proposal explaining how their project will improve long-term financial wellbeing for residents in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
The proposal should describe the target group, proposed activities, delivery method, expected outcomes, budget, and reporting approach.
Applicants should clearly show how the project builds financial skills, confidence, resilience, and stability.
Suggested Application Steps
- Confirm that the project will benefit residents in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly.
- Decide whether to apply as an individual organisation or partnership.
- Identify the financial resilience needs of the target group.
- Choose eligible activities such as budgeting, financial guidance, cooking, nutrition, or digital inclusion.
- Explain how the project will build skills and confidence.
- Prepare a delivery plan for up to one year.
- Include clear outcomes linked to long-term financial wellbeing.
- Prepare a realistic budget within the relevant grant range.
- Ensure no retrospective costs or ineligible capital purchases are included.
- Plan how progress will be monitored.
- Prepare for interim reporting by mid-March 2027.
- Submit the application through the official process.
Expected Outcomes
Projects should help residents become more confident and resilient in managing money.
Expected outcomes may include:
- Improved budgeting skills
- Increased confidence in managing household finances
- Better awareness of debt and money management options
- Improved access to benefits or income support
- Reduced risk of future financial hardship
- Better food budgeting and meal planning
- Improved digital skills for financial management
- Stronger ability to access online services
- Increased awareness of energy-saving options
- Improved long-term financial stability
Why It Matters
Many households face financial pressure due to rising living costs, debt, low income, food costs, energy costs, and limited access to advice.
Short-term support can help in a crisis, but long-term financial resilience requires skills, confidence, and practical guidance.
The Resilience Fund matters because it supports organisations that help residents manage money, reduce future hardship, and improve financial wellbeing over time.
By funding local projects, the programme strengthens community-based support across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid proposing projects focused only on immediate crisis relief.
The fund is intended to support long-term financial resilience, not direct crisis payments.
Applicants should not include retrospective costs or capital purchases over £5,000.
Projects should not include activities that are unrelated to financial wellbeing.
Applicants should avoid vague outcomes such as “support people with money” without explaining the skills, guidance, or practical activities to be delivered.
Partnership applications should not leave roles and responsibilities unclear.
Tips for Strong Applications
A strong application should clearly explain the financial challenges faced by the target group.
Applicants should show how the project will build practical skills, confidence, and long-term resilience.
The proposal should connect every activity to financial wellbeing outcomes.
Projects combining financial guidance, budgeting, digital inclusion, and food budgeting should explain how these elements work together.
Partnership applications should show strong coordination and added value.
Applicants should include clear monitoring plans, realistic delivery targets, and a simple reporting approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Resilience Fund?
The Resilience Fund is a Cornwall Council grant programme that supports organisations helping residents improve long-term financial wellbeing and resilience.
2. Who will benefit from the fund?
The fund supports residents across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who need help building financial skills, confidence, and stability.
3. How much funding is available?
Individual organisations can apply for £5,000 to £10,000. Partnership applications can request up to £30,000.
4. What is the funding period?
The funding period is up to one year, with interim reporting required by mid-March 2027.
5. What activities are eligible?
Eligible activities include financial guidance, debt awareness, money management advice, benefit checks, budgeting sessions, cooking and nutrition support, food budgeting, digital inclusion, online banking skills, and energy-saving advice.
6. What costs can be funded?
Funding can support staff salaries, session delivery costs, staff or volunteer training, materials, resources, venue hire, core costs, and overheads.
7. What cannot be funded?
The fund cannot support retrospective costs, capital purchases over £5,000, direct crisis payments, or activities not linked to financial resilience outcomes.
Conclusion
The Resilience Fund provides practical support for organisations helping residents in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly improve long-term financial wellbeing.
With grants of £5,000 to £10,000 for individual organisations and up to £30,000 for partnerships, the fund supports activities that build budgeting skills, financial confidence, digital inclusion, cooking and nutrition skills, and household money management.
Applicants should present clear, practical projects that focus on long-term resilience, measurable financial wellbeing outcomes, and meaningful support for local residents.
For more information, visit Cornwall Community Foundation.