Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council: Food Hardship Grant

Overview

The purpose of this Grant Programme is to support small localised constituted community and voluntary organisations that are currently supporting residents experiencing food insecurity, and that need additional resources to cope with the increased demand for their services.

The Programme will assist organisations to support residents through the direct provision of food, hygiene and household essentials through established community food projects such as community food pantries and cupboards.

The Programme is for organisations that have a track record of working directly with people experiencing disadvantage and only those applications which provide a targeted response in relation to food poverty interventions will be considered.

You are strongly advised to speak to a member of the Community Development team before applying to ensure that your project is eligible.

Funded activities can take place up to 31st March 2024.

Priorities of Grant Programme

Projects must demonstrate how they will address all of the following 3 objectives:

• Support residents who are experiencing financial difficulty through the provision of
• food. This may also include hygiene or household essentials;
• Ensure that the support is targeted at those most vulnerable and in need of support;
• Ensure that any food intervention is linked with other support services by signposting or referral (such as benefits and money advice; energy efficiency advice etc)

NB: Applicants should be established organisations that are currently providing food poverty interventions and need additional resources to cope with the increased demand for their services during the incoming months.

In the event of oversubscription, priority will be given to organisations providing services in areas of highest deprivation including Neighbourhood Renewal Areas, Areas at Risk and Small Pockets of Deprivation as well as rural areas of disadvantage identified by the Income Domain rank of the NIMDM 2017

Please note that successful applicants will need to complete a monitoring form at the end of the project which will require specific information on the number of people and households that benefit. This information is essential to enable the Department for Communities to monitor the impact of the programme.

Funding

Maximum grant amount is £3000.

Community/voluntary sector organisations can apply for grants of up to 100% of costs.

Funding should be used for food items and other household and hygiene essentials. A maximum of 10% of the grant awarded can be used for administration costs.

The fund will close as soon as the available funds are allocated. Council reserves the right to close the fund at short notice.

Who Can Apply?

Applications are invited from constituted community and voluntary organisations that have a track record of working directly with people experiencing disadvantage. These include:

• Food pantries/ cupboards;
• Projects that redistribute food, such as community fridges, to those that need it most in local communities;
• Holiday hunger schemes.

Only those applications which provide a targeted response in relation to food poverty interventions will be considered.

Due to the one off nature of this funding the grant cannot be used to support the set up of new food projects.

This scheme is for localised food insecurity projects; a separate scheme will operate for larger registered foodbanks that provide regional coverage and so they should not apply through this programme.

For eligibility organisations must:

• Be based in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council area or be delivering a project targeting residents in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council area.
• Have a constitution / governing document that has been adopted at a public meeting showing clearly defined purposes that are for the public benefit in line with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.
• Be committed to Equal Opportunities in terms of organisational policies and the delivery of services to those being served or represented.
• Be non-party political and open to the full range of local opinion.
• Be able to demonstrate a fair and equitable ethos through established aims and objectives in accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998).
• Have appropriate and adequate insurance cover for all activities and all actions proceeding such as costs, claims, demands and liabilities whatsoever, arising from all or any of the group activities. To also ensure that any individuals or organisations worked with are properly insured.
• Ensure that all group activities abide by the law and that the necessary permissions are obtained for activities from the appropriate body/authority.
• Ensure that Child Protection Policy / Vulnerable Adults Policy and Procedures are in place and adhered to as and where appropriate.
• Have a bank/building society account and keep a proper record of group accounts.
• Be able to produce an annual statement of independently audited or certified accounts, or be able to present a bank statement in the case of newly established groups.
• Agree to Causeway Coast and Glens Council's promotion, monitoring, evaluation, and training procedures as required.

What can be funded?

Applicants can apply for grants of up to 100% of costs up to a maximum of £3,000 towards project costs.

Funded activities can take place up to 31st March 2024.

Eligible costs will include:

• Purchase of the following items - food - cleaning products - hygiene products - baby products
• Provision of snacks and lunches as part of holiday hunger schemes.
• 10% of the grant award can be used for administration costs including volunteer expenses, electricity, materials, PPE etc.

You are strongly advised to speak to a member of the Community Development team before applying to ensure that your project costs are eligible.