Northamptonshire Community Foundation has launched the Poverty Hurts Fund to help tackle increasing poverty and the impact of the current cost of living crisis for some of our most vulnerable local residents and those already experiencing financial distress. It aims to ensure that people who have been impacted by poverty can access support from local organisations. 

The fund will focus on awarding grants to community organisations supporting local vulnerable people in financial difficulty, some of the types of projects could include:

• Providing food support -  this could include food parcels, purchasing stock for food banks, community fridges or larders and projects that are identifying and working with the most vulnerable residents in Northamptonshire who may be struggling to access affordable and nutritious food, including those who have no recourse to public funds and projects that promote diversity, equity and inclusion such as projects providing culturally appropriate foods.
• Providing essential items - this could include toiletries, blankets, hot water bottles, clothing
• Provide advice services - advice on energy consumption and payments, benefit eligibility checks or debt advice

The initial deadline for applications to this programme will be the 9th January, after which this will revert to a rolling programme meaning you can apply at any time. The maximum funding award is £3000 and application assessments will be reviewed every two weeks.

Is my group eligible?

• Your group must be a small, locally managed, voluntary, community or self-help group. Please note that as a general exclusion we do not fund social enterprises with persons with significant control (PSC).
• You must be based in Northamptonshire
• You must have a set of written rules or constitution that your group adheres to, that contains a dissolution clause. We can help advise you on how to do this especially if you are a new group
• You must have safeguarding policies in place if relevant to your work and all groups must have an equalities policy in place

For more information about eligibility and information on supporting documents please visit our Help for Groups section.

To apply, click here: Poverty Hurts Fund application form

Please wait for at least 15 minutes & check your junk mail for the email containing the link.

Please read the guidance notes and download the reference form and supporting documents checklist at the bottom of the page before applying.

Northamptonshire Community Foundation can provide advice and guidance during the application process as well as viewing draft applications prior to submission. Call the grants team on 01604 230033 for more information.

Please click here to view our Diversity Statement applicable to our grant awards.

Our funds and programmes are working towards the 10 UNSDGs we have adopted into our charitable activities. For more information please click here

Project Type: Poverty

Grant Location: Northamptonshire (county-wide)

Grant Amount: Up to £3,000