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Essex Association of Local Councils

Supporting local town and parish councils within Essex

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Food Support and Winter Warmth Fund

administered on behalf of Essex County Council

Essex County Council are committed to supporting communities most in need and that have been adversely impacted by the increase of the cost of living. We are pleased to launch the Food Support Fund so that foodbanks, food pantries, community organisations, and voluntary groups and schools can provide support to those most in need.
In addition, these organisations will also have the opportunity to apply for funding to support these families and individuals with winter warmth essentials. This support can be used to provide blankets, hot water bottles, hand warmers, gloves, scarfs, hats, draft excluders and anything else that will help people stay warm this winter. Where possible please shop locally when purchasing these winter essentials.
This funding is for the provision of food and winter warmth essentials for families with children and for individuals from across the Essex County Council local authority areas who are most in need. Applicants should have processes in place to ensure that this funding is used to support those who are struggling this winter with the cost of living increases.
Applications will be accepted for up to £4000 for food and up to a further £1000 for the winter warmth essentials. Please ensure that the amount you request in your application reflects the local need and the number of families and individuals that you plan to support, over the winter period until the end of March 2024. You will need to tell us how many families and individuals you expect to be able to provide support with this funding and over what period.

Apply Now

Please click HERE to download the application form. All forms must be filled out alongside proof of Bank account details (eg: bank statement or paying in slip) to the Funding administrator at Funding@ealc.gov.uk

This funding will run from Monday 11th September 2023 and will close as soon as all of the funding is allocated. All grants awarded must be spent by 31st March 2024. We understand that you may need to provide support to a family on more than one occasion during this period but please make this clear in your application.

Organisations are able to apply for both the Food support and Winter Warmth Essentials funding, or you are able to apply for just one of these funds.

We will be in touch at the end of the funding period for monitoring around the number of families and individuals you have been able to support with this funding. You will need to monitor how many individual payments are made to each family as well as the number of families helped with children, without children, with Pensioners or with disabilities. If you have any feedback or case studies of how this funding has supported local people then please do share this with us.

We are keen that everyone who needs it, has access to support during this period and so we will be sharing details of organisations who receive funding through this grant, so that families and individuals are aware of where they can go for support. Please make sure you include contact details that can be shared publicly.

If you have any specific enquiries on the grant funding we offer, please contact, our Funding Adminstrator at-

funding@ealc.gov.uk.