Grants of up to £6,000 are available to Community, Voluntary, Faith and Social Enterprise Organisations who are based in Knowsley. The purpose of the fund is to support community-based organisations to deliver activities and interventions to help local residents to stay warm, safe and well this winter.
Grant-funded projects must start after 8 November 2023 and end on or before 14 April 2024.
Successful applicants will be notified of the award decisions mid-late November 2023.
The Winter Wellness Grants Programme will provide funding to enable community organisations to:
- Deliver activities or interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness.
- Deliver activities or interventions to help reduce fuel poverty.
- Deliver activities or interventions to help reduce food poverty.
- Deliver activities or interventions which will help to improve the mental health and wellbeing of residents.
- Deliver other activities or interventions which will help residents to stay warm, safe and well during the winter.
Organisations who receive Winter Wellness funding will also be expected to:
- Raise awareness and encourage the uptake of the annual winter flu jab and COVID-19 vaccinations as appropriate.
- Raise awareness of how residents can stay warm and well by supporting the distribution of winter wellness public health messaging.
- Raise awareness of services available to residents to help them during the cost-of-living crisis.
Organisations are expected to use grant funding to provide new activities. Alternatively, funding could be used to extend activities which are currently being delivered (for example, if a group currently hosts lunch clubs for older people on Tuesdays, the funding could be used to provide an additional lunch club on Thursdays). Grant funding is not expected to be used to cover the costs of existing activities. This programme is designed to support the whole community and will also relieve some of the pressures caused by the cost-of-living crisis.
Examples of possible activity you might consider are:
- Breakfast or after school clubs
- Provision of blankets or warm winter clothing
- Lunch clubs
- Baby and toddler groups with refreshments
- Evening or weekend meal provision
- Provision of a warm space with refreshments and activity
- Outreach to communities to provide food parcels.
Knowsley Council have signed a Healthy Weight Declaration. Therefore, where possible any food included as part of the application should be nutritious and healthy.
Whilst we encourage applications to include a contribution to overheads in proportion to delivery of the project, these overhead costs should be for the new or additional activities funded by this grant – ie, not the overheads for existing ‘business as usual’ service provision. For example, applications could include overheads to cover heating costs for additional opening hours or food costs to provide a lunch club which does not already happen.
Management costs for your bid should not exceed 10% of the total amount applied for. Management costs should relate directly to the proposed project only.
Grant-holding organisations will be expected to direct residents to services and support provided by other organisations. For the latest information please refer to the Knowsley News website. This might mean that community groups actively make referrals, or could facilitate other services to ‘drop-in’ to their activity. This will enable residents to access local support together with grants for energy and home improvements (where applicable).
Stronger Communities / Hardship Fund
If you have received funding through the Stronger Communities Fund or the Hardship Fund you must ensure that this application is for different activity. The Winter Wellness Grant cannot be used to fund activity which has already been applied for under alternative funding.
Who can apply?
Grassroots community-based organisations who understand the needs of their local communities and are well-placed to offer this type of support. You must be registered as a community organisation and/or be constituted as a group with a clear set of adopted rules.
Requirements
Groups and organisations must:
- Have a current active bank account in their own name, with a minimum of two signatories.
- Ensure the grant will be spent by 14 April 2024
- Complete an End of Grant Form (issued towards the end of the grant period) and take part in monitoring and evaluation of the programme
- Have appropriate policies and insurance in place.
- Only make one application per organisation (although this may cover various activities to a limit of £6,000)
- Collect information to monitor the impact of the project, this may include numbers attending activities, number of items distributed, number of meals served, case studies, pictures and feedback from participants
Applicants will need to be able to produce the following at the point of application:
- Governance document (a copy of your constitution, articles or memorandum of association)
- A bank statement (dated within the past three months)
- Most recent accounts or income/expenditure sheet
- Safeguarding policy
- A list of your Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members (organisations with fewer than three unrelated Trustees/Directors/Management Committee Members might not be considered)
All applicants must ensure that they hold relevant policies and procedures in place to undertake activities, such as Criminal Records Bureau checks, relevant public liability and/or a health and safety policy, depending on proposed activity.
All documents must be submitted for an application to progress.
Applicant responsibilities
Community organisations will be expected to describe in their application how they will achieve and monitor the following primary health outcomes as relevant to their proposed activities.
| Primary health outcomes |
Examples of activities |
| Contribute towards a reduction in social isolation and loneliness |
Social activities and events
Signposting to group activities. |
| Contribute towards a reduction in fuel poverty |
Distribution of blankets, gloves, scarves, etc. |
| Contribute towards a reduction in food poverty |
Lunch clubs.
Food parcels |
| Support residents to look after their own mental health and wellbeing |
Encourage new participation in social events and activities.
Sharing information/signposting to support.
|
| Help residents to stay warm, safe and well this winter |
Warm banks
Signposting to relevant agencies |
Applicants are also encouraged to meet the following secondary health outcomes.
| Secondary health outcomes |
Examples of activities |
| Contribute towards encouraging residents to have their flu and Covid-19 vaccinations |
Event attended by a health professional or service to promote vaccination
Distribution of leaflets |
| Raise awareness of how residents can stay warm and well by supporting the distribution of winter wellness public health messaging |
Share information at events and activities
Distribution of leaflets |
| Raise awareness of services available to residents to help them during the cost-of-living crisis |
Signposting to services |
Applicants will also be required to collect the following information:
- The number of people taking part in the activity (families, older people, other adults, children and young people), together with other measures of activity as appropriate
- Areas of the borough where the activity is taking place
- Details of other services which were linked to your activity (eg by coming along to meet people, or by providing you with information to share)
Any promotional materials produced by the applicant regarding the funded project must display the Knowsley Better Together logo (found at the top of this page).
Organisations should ensure that their activities are delivered in a way which minimises the risk of spreading infectious diseases such as flu and Covid-19. The NHS Simple Things guidance provides advice to help to keep everyone who safe this winter.
Please read the Further Guidance Notes
If you have any questions about the Winter Wellness Grants Programme, including questions about how to apply, please email [email protected]
Apply now
Applications to be made through the Council funding portal below
Apply now