Winter Support Fund – An Update

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At the end of 2023, H&F Giving were delighted to launch the Winter Support Fund small grants scheme, awarding grants to community organisations which support those most in need in our local community – we are administering the Winter Support Fund on behalf of H&F Council.

We are delighted to report that 35 community organisations received £340,000 of Winter Support Funding in early January to provide direct support to residents facing crisis and poverty this winter.

After a huge and quality response in the call for applications, H&F Council kindly increased the funding available from an original £200,000 pot to £340,000, meaning we were able to support more community organisations and households in the borough as part of this programme. Our community panel worked together to assess applications and ensure an even split of provision geographically and demographically across the borough through a variety of local Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations delivering projects to support households in Hammersmith & Fulham with food, fuel and support for other essential living costs.

Louise Wilson – Executive Director of H&F Giving said: “We are delighted to administer the Winter Support Fund on behalf of H&F Council at a time when support is needed more than ever. Demand far outstripped supply for the fund with the call for applications seeing a both large and quality response. Although it was not possible to fund everything, we were delighted the Council were able to unlock more funding at the end of year to support the vital work our community organisations are doing to support residents facing crisis and poverty this winter – thank you. We know this funding has come at a critical time for many and is going to have a huge impact in supporting our local community through the winter period.”

We look forward to sharing stories of this impact in the coming weeks and months. Make sure you are signed up to our newsletter and keep an eye on our socials for updates – information on future grant rounds will also be shared via these channels.

As an organisation, we are continuing to work hard to unlock funding to further support community organisations in the borough. If you would like to have a conversation about how you or your business can help, please contact team@hfgiving.org.uk. You can also donate to H&F Giving here.