Ards and North Down Borough Council: Winter Hardship Fund
Overview
Groups/organisations are invited to apply for a competitive fund which will be available to statutory community partners, community & voluntary organisations and registered charities to implement short projects (to be delivered by 31 March 2025) that target individuals and communities who are most vulnerable to the spiralling cost of living.
Programme Aims
The aim of the fund is to support people who are experiencing food, fuel, and financial hardship. Hardship funding is non-recurrent funding.
Types of initiatives the fund can consider include:
- Initiatives that identify and work with individuals and their families at times of crisis
- Projects that provide spaces with a food offering alongside activities and heat (but food should be the primary purpose).
- Programmes that increase the capacity and integration with existing hardship support services (e.g. Social Supermarkets and food banks)
- Community based, School/education-based food projects e.g. breakfast clubs and holiday hunger initiatives.
Funding Levels
Under the Winter Hardship Fund applicants can apply for up to a maximum of £3,000.
Confirmation of receipt of an application will be sent within 2 working days.
They will only accept one application per group/organisation.
What they can fund
Types of areas they can fund include (but are not restricted to)
- Projects that identify communities and individuals who are financially vulnerable and have an innovative solution based on food, fuel, and financial hardship
- Energy/Food voucher schemes (food, fuel, oil stamp scheme, electricity)
- Costs associated with the provision of food to provide those facing hardship with sustenance e.g., including Social Supermarkets, Food Banks, Fareshare, Community Fridges, holiday hunger initiatives, meal projects, school-based food projects, such as breakfast clubs and other meal-based projects
- Running costs that directly support the winter hardship project only and can be evidenced, up to a maximum of 10% of the awarded amount and are not already being funded by ANDBC Running costs or any other grant funding.
Eligibility
The Hardship fund is open to the following eligible organisations/groups based and operating within Ards and North Down -
- Strategic Community Planning Partners (if not delivering statutory functions)
- Community & Voluntary Sector Organisations (application must show additionality)
- Registered charities (application should bring additionality to a charitable purpose)
THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT DETAIL IN ANY APPLICATION FOR COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION RESTS WITH THE APPLICANT.
The scoring panel can only score what the applicant has provided. Please note that the maximum word count per question will be adhered to, should you go over the word count, an independent officer, who is not part of the scoring panel will redact any words/sentences over the word count prior to the scoring panel seeing the application form. This is to make the process fair to all that apply.