Published on Friday 18 November 2022
As part of BCP Council’s Household Support Fund scheme, funding has been allocated for the BCP Food and Warmth Support Fund, which Dorset Community Foundation will be administering on behalf of the council.
Grants of up to £10,000 will be allocated to eligible community and voluntary sector organisations, who will need to fill out the application form on Dorset Community Foundation’s website. To be eligible for the support, organisations will need to meet certain criteria and help improve community access to cost of living support.
The grants can be used to fund a variety of support, including improving access to food and keeping warm, including warm welcome spaces. A full list can be found on Dorset Community Foundation’s website.
The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 28 November 2022, with the distribution of grants aiming to begin in mid December 2022. If an organisation is successful in its application, all of the grant money which is allocated to them will need to be spent by 31 March 2023.
During the Summer 2022 phase of the Household Support Fund, Dorset Community Foundation distributed £112,000 in funding from BCP Council to support 21,109 local residents through 18 grants.
In previous rounds of the Household Support Fund, funding has been allocated by Dorset Community Foundation to help essential community services to meet increased demand and fund pilot projects aimed at tackling isolation and providing fresh produce and hot meals to residents.
Dorset Community Foundation Director Grant Robson said: "We are very proud that BCP Council is again entrusting our knowledge and expertise to make sure this money gets to the people who most need it.
"We have some amazing grass roots groups working on the frontline in communities to help families and individuals through the worst of winter and in the midst of a cost of living crisis this help is never more needed. BCP Council’s funding through Dorset Community Foundation will mean many people will be warm and fed through the colder months."
Councillor Jane Kelly, Lead Member for Communities, said: "Dorset Community Foundation have helped us to distribute funding to organisations who are helping to address the rising cost of living for our residents throughout the Household Support Fund scheme and we are grateful to them for their continued support of our cost of living campaign.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for eligible organisations to support their communities as we move into the Winter period and beyond, and we encourage applications to be sent in as soon as possible to meet the deadline."
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Editor’s notes
You can find out more about the Food and Warmth Support Fund and apply here: dorsetcommunityfoundation.org/funds/bcp-food-and-warmth-support-fund/.
You can learn more about BCP Council’s Household Support Fund scheme here: bcpcouncil.gov.uk/householdsupport/.
You can find out more about past projects which BCP Council and Dorset Community Foundation have funded here: bcpcouncil.gov.uk/news-article.aspx?title=support-from-bcp-council-and-dorset-community-foundation-helped-to-sustain-community-food-providers-over-winter-months.