Applications invited to apply to Ards and North Down Hardship Fund
Ards and North Down Borough Council has launched a Hardship Fund to support people who are experiencing food, fuel and financial hardship caused by the current cost of living crisis.
With the help of funding provided by the Department for Communities, the competitive fund is available to statutory, community and voluntary organisations.
It aims to implement short projects that target individuals and communities who are most vulnerable to the spiralling cost of living.
Projects must be delivered by March 2024 and innovative proposals are welcomed.
They should have identified good methods to target those who are most in need, and help increase community and individual resilience to the cost-of-living crisis.
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)
- Development of community schemes to improve self-efficient and resilience such as growing spaces and the installation and running of community fridges.
- Programmes that increase the capacity and integration with existing hardship support services (e.g. Social Supermarkets and food banks)
- School/education-based food projects e.g. breakfast clubs and holiday hunger initiatives.
Under the Hardship Fund, applicants can apply for up to £30,000.
The minimum value of each application should be £10,000.
Applicants are expected to submit a short proposal outlining how they will meet the aim of the fund, how their project is innovative and how they will target those most in need.
A reporting scorecard will be required at the end of each project.
The fund officially opens for application on 29 September and will close on 13 October.
More information is available by emailing communitygrants@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk or telephone 0300 013 3333 (ext. 40347 or 40916).
