Deadline: 29-Aug-2024
Community and voluntary organisations, town, parish and community councils are invited to apply for grant funding to support local initiatives tailored to local need helping to provide vulnerable families with food, utilities and keeping warm.
Funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Education, the connect4communities programme coordinates a range of initiatives which aim to ensure that low-income households, families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, do not go without necessities such as food and fuel.
Hampshire County Council has been awarded over £7 million from the DWP’s Household Support Fund, to use by 30 September 2024 and they intend to work with community and voluntary sector partners to provide immediate direct support or support that has a longer-term sustainable impact, particularly focussing on food and utility costs, to vulnerable households throughout the period.
Funding Information
- A fund of £720,000 is being allocated to Community Grants so that community organisations can support initiatives tailored to local needs.
- In addition, £125,000 is ringfenced to deliver advice on budgeting, finances, maximising income or accessing other help.
- A fund of £550,000 has been allocated to open new community pantries in a high need area, or for support to an established community pantry, food bank or local food partnership that will help provide vulnerable families with food or with access to food during the 6 month grant period. The funding can also be used to develop further wrap around support and wider food networking to support local community needs.
What can be funded with this grant?
- The grant evaluation panel will ensure that the allocation of the grants complies with the grant criteria and is seeking applications for grant funding that fit within the criteria. They hope that the grant funding can provide a flexible and responsive way to support local needs. Examples of eligible spend include:
- Energy and water: Support with energy and water bills
- Food: including vouchers and free school meals
- Essentials linked to energy and water (including sanitary products, warm clothing, soap, blankets, boiler service/repair, purchase of equipment including fridges, freezers, ovens, etc.), in recognition that a range of costs may arise which directly affect a household’s ability to afford or access energy, food and water.
- Wider essentials to support with wider essential needs not linked to energy and water. These may include, but are not limited to, support with other bills including broadband or phone bills, clothing, and essential transport-related costs such as repairing a car, buying a bicycle, or paying for fuel.
- Whilst immediate needs should be prioritised, organisations are also encouraged to consider how the fund could be used to provide support that has a long-term sustainable impact, for example household items which would reduce bills in the long-term.
- Grant funding cannot be used to cover debt and general financial hardship support not linked to food, warmth and/or hygiene. Community grants should also not be used for mortgage support or rent arrears.
- Examples of the types of support that they could fund with the connect4communities Community Grant include, but are not limited to:
- Funding to enable a new support group (either in an area of deprivation and/or targeting a vulnerable group) to provide meals or create food parcels/hampers.
- Funding to enable an existing support group (either in an area of deprivation and/or targeting a vulnerable group) to provide warm clothes, shoes, and other essentials to families with children and other individuals in need.
- Funding to enable an existing support group to provide essentials, such as soap, blankets, draught excluders, boiler service/repair, and the purchase of white goods – including fridges, freezers, ovens, etc.
- A contribution towards additional activities/staffing to support an organisation to deliver cookery classes where families take the meal and or ingredients home with them.
- A financial subsidy to support a school/wraparound childcare provider to deliver an activity and meal day/scheme.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organisations wishing to apply for a grant, must be a registered community or voluntary sector organisation. This includes faith groups, youth organisations, town, parish, borough and district councils, schools, colleges and early years settings. They would be delighted to receive applications from organisations which will enable Community Groups to directly support their community, via an easy-to-use online application form and they are very happy to answer any queries you may have.
- A discretionary fund is available to schools, colleges and early years settings to help families who find themselves in a vulnerable situation with urgent and immediate needs, such as the cost of food, utility bills, warm clothes, bedding, or white goods. Where schools have a specific plan in mind to support families in greatest need, or for a large number of families and the amount will not be covered by the schools’ grant allocation, more funding can be applied for through the Household Support Fund Community Grants.
For more information, visit connect4communities.
