Warm Welcome Grant open for expressions of interest

Published: 11 November 2022

Voluntary, community, social and faith organisations are being invited to submit expressions of interest for the Warm Welcome grant.

The Warm Welcome grant will fund up to 40 organisations to provide support to Derby residents experiencing hardship or difficulties as a result of the Cost of Living Crisis.

The funding is open to the following community-based organisations and initiatives:

• Community voluntary and community sector organisations based within Derby City
• Organisations offering support, hot drinks and food from community assets based in Derby
• Organisations able to administer electricity vouchers and monitor attendance and involvement

Eligible organisations will be able to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to provide Derby residents with a warm welcome, hot drink, meal and help towards energy costs, as well as help to access other cost of living support or initiatives.

Cllr Roy Webb, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Housing said:

Local community-based organisations are best placed to support our most vulnerable residents and the Warm Welcome grants are a brilliant opportunity for them to continue to carry out their invaluable work.

I would urge all community-based organisations to consider whether they can get involved and offer a Warm Welcome to those who need it the most.

Kim Harper, CEO, Community Action Derby said:

We wanted to ensure that we recognise and add value to the local assets and fantastic work that is already going on in our communities. The Warm Welcome grant has been developed to do this and is another positive example of partnership working in Derby.

In these really challenging times its vital that communities across Derby come together and are supported to provide a warm welcome to residents. We believe that a conversation, hot drink and a meal as well as access to advice and support could make all of the difference to someone who is struggling. The grant itself will also ensure that a local amenity is able to open longer or manage its own costs and resources while supporting its community.

Community Action Derby is administering the expression of interest process on behalf of Derby City Council as part of our ongoing partnership. The grants aim to engage with a wide network of community-based organisations with premises which can be used to enhance community-based provision. The grants will support the successful organisations until March 2023.

In addition to the grant, an accessible top up electricity voucher scheme will be open to successful organisations which will need to be administered to eligible residents who are accessing the services on offer.

The grants are being funded by the Household Support Fund (HSF), a programme of Government support to help Derby residents facing financial hardship by providing grants and other financial support. The money is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 21 November at 12noon.

You can find out more about the grant, as well as download the eligibility criteria and expression of interest form on the Community Action Derby website.

Community