Cost Of Living Crisis Grants - Funding Help For UK Charities & Families
Charity cost of living crisis grants for UK charities and community groups, and funding help for families and individuals. LAST UPDATED - 29 JANUARY 2023.
UK Cost of Living Crisis Grants For Charities & Individuals
Links to Uk cost of living crisis grants for charities and individuals. To find far more grants, use our free Funding Finder online directory. It has a Cost Of Living Crisis Grants search category, with 70+, and also Core Cost Funding (200+) and Small Charities & Community Groups (600+) categories. To find free fundraising support and companies that make donations to charities, use Help Finder. And that's just a small part of our cost of living crisis support programme.
To find funding and help with any problem, for individuals and non profits, click the bunny icon in the bottom right of your screen and tell it what you need - use short questions and include key words.
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COST OF LIVING CRISIS GRANTS FOR CHARITIES
Listed in sections - UK wide, then UK countries, then regional grant funding for charities and community groups in London, England North and England South. I know the last 2 aren't terribly precise, but where I come from people from Edinburgh are considered to be southern 'softies' and everything south of the city is all a bit vague.
UK Wide Crisis Grant Funding For Charities
| Bauer Media’s charity network, has announced £1 million for the cost-of-living crisis, via the charity’s Emergency Appeal fund. It will target families in financial crisis, allowing them to apply for Cost of Living Grants of £50 per child which can be used for basic essentials – food, heating and clothes. Service providers who support vulnerable children, including schools, social services, health professionals and charities, can submit an application form to their local Cash for Kids office on behalf of the families they work with. | |
| Big Issue Invest - Big Energy Saving Loans | Energy bill loans to charities and social enterprises in England that are struggling with rising costs. From £20,000 to £150,000, and can also be used for installing renewable energy equipment and can be unsecured. |
| Aviva Community Fund Cost of Living Boost | Due to the cost of living crisis, the Aviva Community Fund is offering an additional £2m for causes supporting financial wellbeing in their communities. Nonprofit organisations with an income of up to £2million and looking to raise up to £50,000 can apply now and receive matched funding for public donations from 4 Oct. Thanks UK Fundraising. |
| Sport England have asked me to make you aware of this find, which was set up as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but has recently evolved into supporting the sport and physical activity sector through the cost-of-living and other crises. It is a £7.5m Lottery fund, with grants of up to £10,000 available for not-for-profit organisations, which they manage through their partnership with Crowdfunder. It's specifically targeted at those experiencing short term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to crisis. There's no deadline. |
National Lottery Crisis Grant Funding
They expect to commit over £75m to support communities on cost-of-living through the next year, including commitments already made and extra flexibility in grant making. They've also made changes to allow greater variations and adjustments in grants underway to reflect cost of living pressures. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it will be open to organisations applying to be awarded an additional National Lottery Award for All grants this year – worth up to £20k in total. An update on availability in England is to follow. More information can be found here.
UK Wide Crisis Grant Funding - Food
| The next round will open on 9 December. The grants offer funds to local charities, nominated by each individual store, that tackle food poverty. | |
| An initial grant of up to £1,000 and begin a partnership with their local One Stop store. This programme is designed to support community groups or organisations operating within two miles of a One Stop store and tackling food poverty, supporting the vulnerable, supporting the elderly, supporting low-income families or running youth sports teams. Apply at any time. | |
| Works in over 40 countries. They donate time, skills and money to tackle hunger, support good nutrition and promote life skills in local communities. In the UK and Ireland it makes grants to charities that tackle hunger; promote healthy lifestyles; and develop life skills such as cooking. Grant range £1,500 to £120,000, but your first application is limited to £10,000. No deadlines. |
Cost of Living Grant Funding - Scotland
| The Scottish Government SPICe Spotlight blog has lists and links to support for individuals, families and organisations from the Scottish and UK Governments, as well as support for fuel and utilities and other useful resources. | |
| Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Grants of between £500-£5,000 to charities, constituted community groups and registered social enterprises with an annual income under £100,000, who will pass the money on in cash or vouchers directly to local families and individuals in need in Scotland. Opens 22 Nov. This fund will close once all funding is allocated, which is likely to happen quite quickly as demand is expected to be high. | |
| Grants from £10,001 to £75,000 for projects to help support individuals, families and communities currently experiencing hardship as a result of the cost-of-living increases. Grants £10,001 to £75,000. No deadline. |
Cost of Living Grant Funding - Wales
| They have launched a Cost-of-living response. Alongside continued support for other projects, they have introduced a new set of priorities to National Lottery Awards for All and People & Places and have made an extra £2 million available. |
Crisis Grant Funding England - London
| Links to a wide range of support for Londoners including grants and funding, local welfare assistance, homelessness, food banks, baby banks and fuel banks, help for survivors of abuse, including financial abuse, help for migrant Londoners and mental health. | |
| For charities and voluntary organisations to hold events anywhere in the City of London and on the housing estates it runs across the capital. The money is available from its Stronger Communities Fund, which promotes community health and wellbeing initiatives. Grants of up to £2,000 are available to pay for activities where people can come together and keep warm during the winter months. This is additional funding and open to those already holding grants from this fund. Rolling applications. |
Sources of Grant Funding & Help England Regions - South
| Will make grants to fund material and practical help such as food, clothing and other essentials. Unfortunately, the fund is unable to support charities providing advice such as Citizens Advice. This fund is targeted at the following areas where branch offices are located - Banstead, Cranleigh, Dorking, Horley, Leatherhead, Reigate, Redhill and Caterham. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. No details of amounts. | |
| To support voluntary groups in Wiltshire and Swindon who are meeting the needs of those most impacted by the increased cost of living. Grants can be used to: Meet people’s physical needs, ie provide food or warmth, address other issues related to the increased cost of living eg provide debt or benefits advice, transport and help with increased running costs for local voluntary organisations who support people on a low income. | |
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Essex County Council - Community Winter Warmth and Welcome Spaces Fund |
Essex community groups and Parish and Town Councils. Up £1,000 from to provide warm spaces and activities this winter. The £100,000 fund will support the creation of new spaces/activities or existing ones. No deadline. |
| Grants of up to £2,000 for charities/community groups to provide a warm place for local people to take a break from the cold and connect with others during the winter months. Rolling deadline for applications. | |
| To help support charities supporting those who are struggling, with emergency food and debt and cost of living crisis management support in West Berkshire, apply via the Good Exchange. No amounts or deadline, but expected to be available until at least year end. |
Sources of Grant Funding & Help England Regions - North
| To support local groups and projects in Lancashire, Merseyside and Manchester. Up to £2,500. Examples could include: IT training, youth projects or community events. Projects should aim to address one or more of the following: WORK, FOOD, GREEN or DIGITAL. For 4, they are looking for projects that aim to support communities that are facing increased challenges as a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis. Deadline 31 Jan. | |
| The initial focus of the fund is to offer groups up to £2,000 to deal with critical issues in their communities. We imagine this will be around food, energy and emergency items. North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, York and Hull. Apply at any time. | |
| Support for community groups working with residents to help reduce food and fuel poverty. The funding is being raised by people donating their energy rebates or other spare money. No deadline or grant amount specified. The funding raised so far is £17k, so grants will be small, but they see this as a long term fund to support community groups. | |
| Affordable housing provider believe housing has changed a £25,000 grants scheme, so the cash can go directly to projects addressing the rising cost of living. It is offering £500 per project, including for food and clothes banks, warm spaces and related items/activities. Projects must be central Durham, east Durham and south-west Durham. No deadline. Thanks UK Fundraising. |
Charity Core Funding Grants - Charitable Trusts & Foundations
A Charity Excellence funding list for UK charitable trusts and foundations that make grants for charity core costs, including unrestricted grants for salaries, wages and overheads, such as rent. Better still you can find nearly 200 core funders using the free Funding Finder Core Funding search category.
30+ Ideas To Reduce Energy Bills, Including Energy Efficiency Schemes And Grants
This Charity Excellence resource lists 30+ ideas to reduce your energy costs both within your charity workplace and your own home, with links to additional support, including energy efficiency schemes and grants for both organisations and families.
COST OF LIVING GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
I work to support charities, so this isn’t my area of expertise, but it's awful, so I thought I should do my best. I've listed crisis grants for individuals that I've come across and below that energy grants and then details of organisations, such as Turn2Us and Citizens Advice who do this far better than I'm able to. I have an individual search category on Funding Finder you're welcome to use, but Turn2Us have a benefits and grants search system for individuals on their website which is far better. Obviously, I'd never admit that to anyone.
Cost of Living Grants & Crisis Help - Ask The AI Tech Bunny
You'll find a tech bunny in the bottom right of your screen. They use artificial intelligence (AI) to help find grants and benefits for individuals, as well as any other kind of crisis help you might need, including finding a food or warm bank. Just click the tech bunny icon and ask it short questions, including key words to help it understand what you need. Using them is completely free and you an ask as many questions as you wish to.
If you are being abused, they will connect you to people who will help you and they record no personal information about you, so chatting to them is always completely anonymous.
Cost Of Living Crisis Grants For for Individuals & Families
Use the Individuals search category in Funding Finder for far more grants. Thse are ones that I think are either specific to the crisis or have been launched in response to the crisis. To find far more grants and other cost of living support, click the AI Bunny icon in the bottom right of your screen and tell it what you need, using short questions, including key words.
| Open to women aged 18 or above, living in the UK, on a low income / not in work and in receipt of all benefits entitled to, or have no recourse to public funds, with savings under £2,000. Priority to: single parents, the disabled, no recourse to public funds, who are or who have been affected by domestic violence or abuse and BAME women. Typical uses might include: increase in household energy bills, or weekly food shop and essentials or other increases to bills through daily living. Grants up to £750. Each month they aim to award c.£25k in grants up to Dec to a total value of c.£200k. | |
| To provide financial support to people with complex disabilities who live in the family home and are on low incomes. Grants £500, but applications must be completed on the individual’s behalf by a social care professional nominated by Sense. No restriction on how the money can be spent. No deadline. England, Wales and Northern Ireland. | |
| School Uniform Grants | All local authorities in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and some in England (though here it's a postcode lottery), have schemes in place to help parents and carers shoulder the cost of school uniforms. Grants up to £200. |
| Depher | Provide vulnerable people access to vital emergency works. It offers partial or fully discounted costs on emergency work including: Gas leaks, No heating, No hot water. Also provides financial help to people over 65, the disabled and families/individuals on low income. This has included buying food and paying gas/electric bills. The service is free during the winter months and discounted services at other times. |
Energy Grants For Individuals Struggling To Pay Bills
| British Gas Energy Trust | Grants available for those struggling with their energy bills. You do not have to be a British Gas customer. Grants over £1500 only in exceptional circumstances. |
| British Gas Energy Support Fund | A new fund to help British Gas customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills in response to the increasing cost of living and rising inflation. Eligible customers with fuel debt of £250 to £750 can apply for grants. It will remain open until funding is exhausted. |
| Grants to vulnerable customers to provide them with a fresh start and financial stability. It can help households stay out of fuel debt and better able to afford ongoing energy costs. It also provides grants for essential energy efficient white goods such as cookers, refrigerators, or washing machines. No deadline. | |
| A £7 million fund for Octopus customers. You can complete a quick and simple online tool which asks you a series of questions about your financial situation. We can offer a number of support options based on circumstances and need, including access to existing schemes, monetary support from the fund, or a loan of a thermal imagery camera to find heat leaks at home. | |
| Supports OVO customers who’ve fallen behind with their energy payments to OVO. You must be in receipt of: Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, or Universal Credit (but only if not working). Your energy bill debt must be at least £150 and the annual household income is £16,190 or less. | |
| For those customers struggling to paying their bills due to low income or other circumstances. The Fund can help by clearing or reducing arrears by crediting a customer’s Scottish Power energy account. You must be in receipt of: Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Pension Credit, or Employment and Support Allowance. |
Other Sources of Cost of Living Grants For Individuals
Rather than replicate the good work of others most of the links below are to sources of charitable trust and foundation and other cost of living crisis grant funding and help, including for energy bills, food, school costs and repairs.
| Consumer Rights - EC04 Grants Portal | This one might look a bit odd but, sadly, there have ben a lot of scams and cold callers approaching vulnerable people. This new online portal allows allows anyone to check if they qualify for government-funded upgrades, such as loft, cavity wall and solid wall insulation, and boiler replacement or repair options from ECO4 Grants. It's simple to use and takes less than 2 minutes with a simple step-by-step process |
| ECO+ Scheme | The ECO+ scheme is designed to be complementary to ECO4. It's an obligation for larger energy suppliers across Great Britain to give their customers grants for insulation to reduce home heating costs. It will help a wider group of people to insulate their homes than previous versions of the ECO scheme. The UK Government will start the scheme in April 2023, and it will run for three years to March 2026. |
| A series of webpages listing help for households. These include income support, and help with energy bills, childcare costs, housing support and finding work. | |
| Turn2Us | Grants and benefits search and other cost of living help for individuals and families |
| Built during the pandemic, the Lightening Reach portal allows individuals to find and apply for support from multiple providers, quickly and easily. For example, grants, local schemes and discounted tariffs. | |
| Citizens Advice - Cost of Living Help | A whole range of help and links to further support, including benefits, council and Government funding, help with essential costs, charitable grants, over 55 pension holders, |
| Ten companies that are offering cost of living support to those struggling, including food and energy. |
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