Richmond Council is providing a total of £150,000 in grants to voluntary sector organisations working to meet the immediate needs of those who are struggling most during the crisis in Richmond upon Thames.

 The fund aims to to support organisations respond to the Cost of Living crisis and has two priority areas:

• Warm spaces – to provide access to a network of safe, welcoming community spaces where residents can keep warm and access other services. This could include groups running activities including existing provision where the applicants can demonstrate they are struggling to fund the costs of these services. Applicants will also need to demonstrate how they are supporting a broad cohort of people in need of this type of provision and how they have adapted services accordingly. The Council is developing a directory of warm spaces, and successful applicants would be expected to form part of this offer.

• Food provision – to support residents in or at risk of food poverty to access affordable food and to provide access to food for vulnerable groups and targeted settings.

Organisations will be able to apply for grants between £5,000 to £10,000 to support items that are linked to the grant priorities.

For organisations requesting less than £5,000 the Civic Pride Fund is open for applications on a rolling basis.

Due to the short timescales involved in funding and delivering provision, the funding is focused on projects that are existing, to enable them to continue to function and/or expand the current service offer or geographic reach. Services will need to mobilise quickly and have a clear exit strategy.

The deadline for applications is midnight on 21 November 2022.

For the full guidance notes and application from, visit Richmond Council’s Cost of Living Grant webpage.