BCP Crisis and Resilience Fund

This fund complements a range of services that are being supported by the UK government’s Crisis & Resilience Fund, delivered by BCP Council and partners. The ‘crisis’ element is being delivered largely through the Housing Payments scheme and the Crisis Payments scheme, offering support to individual households.
These services will provide a safety net for those on low incomes who encounter a financial shock. See the council’s webpage on the Crisis & Resilience Fund for more information.
This fund will invest in resilience services – services, programmes and activities that build financial and community resilience to enable individuals to deal better with crises in the long-term and be more able to withstand and recover from future financial shocks, and to reduce the need for crisis support. Its intent is to address root causes, not just crisis symptoms.

The fund will award grants that will contribute to a joined-up welfare support landscape. This means supporting the continuing development of a range of Resilience Services across BCP where there are clear referral pathways between services. This ‘no wrong door’ approach includes two-way referral pathways between the Crisis Payments scheme and Resilience Services.
The fund cover a wide range of support for vulnerable and low income households including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, disabled people, single-person households and those struggling with one-off financial shocks.

Resilience Services should be developed in consideration of the complex, interrelated factors that affect an individual’s financial resilience such as income, health, education, housing security, financial literacy, debt, savings and caring responsibilities. Services should be person-centred, needs-based, holistic and trauma informed .
It can support new services to address identified gaps in provision or existing services to expand provision. Services should contribute to one or more of the following outcomes:

• Reduced material deprivation (tacking the underlying conditions that prevent households from affording essentials such as heating, clothing, food, household essentials)

• Reduced need for emergency food parcels (more resilient households are less likely to experience financial crises that lead to emergency food need)

• Increased access to appropriate and quality advice services* (leading to improved understanding of rights and or entitlements and an intention to act on the advice in areas such as money management, debt, welfare or housing)
*NB debt advice is a regulated financial activity and therefore should be authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

The following are examples of activities that could be funded (not an exhaustive list):

• Community food provision that includes wrap around support and connectivity into other services that build financial resilience

• Cooking equipment or food skills initiatives that make income stretch further

• Solutions to help reduce energy bills such as provision of energy efficient household items

• Community hubs or drop-in spaces that provide a place to meet other people, share concerns and be connected to relevant resilience services. Co-located services are particularly welcome

• Advice and support addressing root causes of poverty and building financial resilience (e.g. income maximisation, debt, benefit and employment services)

• Activities during school holidays that support low income families

• Other community initiatives that build financial resilience
All applicants should please note:

• Grants for the provision of cash awards to households are not eligible

• Grants cannot be used to replicate or replace free school meals or school holiday food vouchers

• There is no requirement for means testing to identify financial hardship but groups should describe their own approach to ensuring that beneficiaries are in need of support.

• We encourage relevant groups to consider becoming members of the BCP Access to Food Partnership; community groups working together to ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their family nutritious food all of the time.

• Ridgewater Energy offers free advice on energy efficiency improvements and how to reduce your household energy bills. Information booklets available online and as hard copies to share with residents on Energy and Money Saving Booklet and Condensation and Damp Advice are available. 

• Registered charities
• Constituted Community and Voluntary Organisations
• Community Interest Companies limited by guarantee
• Companies limited by guarantee that have a clear not-for-profit clause in their governing document and clear charitable or social objectives
• Community Benefit Societies
• We welcome partnership bids from two or more groups co-delivering a project or to share a capital item.
With:
• At least three unrelated people responsible for running the organisation (for registered charities these are trustees, for CICs/Social Enterprises these are directors)
• A written constitution or set of rules that sets out the purpose and management of the organisation

• A bank account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated signatories required for payments
• An appropriate Safeguarding Policy and EDI policy

• Schools – but we can fund PTA groups if they meet our eligibility guidelines
• Religious or political causes – faith based organisations should advise whether funded activities are designed to, or include elements that are designed to influence people’s religious choices
• Public bodies in order to carry out their statutory obligations
• Animal welfare organisations
• Anyone asking for retrospective funding for items already purchased or work completed
• Organisations with more than 12 months’ unrestricted reserves. If you hold significant reserves, please make clear why they cannot be used to cover the cost of the activity.

The fund is currently open. The deadline for applications in Round One is June 4, 2026.

There are two different grants available

Multi-year grants

Multi-year grants are available for groups that have a three year minimum track record, have received at least one grant from the previous BCP Food and Energy Support Fund, and will be working with a minimum of 100 beneficiaries per year.
Up to three year grants are available for groups applying in Spring 2026 – the grant period is mid July 2026 to 31st March 2029.
Up to two year grants will be available in Spring 2027 – the grant period is May 2027 to 31st March 2029.
The maximum grant sizes are proportionate to the size of group applying – according to latest available accounts:
• Groups with annual expenditure under £100,000, may apply for up to £7,500 per year
• Groups with annual expenditure £100,000 to £250,000, may apply for up to £10,000 per year
• Groups with annual expenditure over £250,000, may apply for up to £15,000 per year
The amount requested for each year does not need to be the same but should not exceed the maximum amounts above
Payments will be made annually, with year two and year three payments dependent and conditional on satisfactory end of year reporting.
Groups unsuccessful with a multi year grant application will still be considered for a one year grant – you don’t need to make a separate application.
Extensions cannot be granted beyond March 31, 2029 – any unspent funds must be returned.

One year grants
Grants from £500 up to £7,500 are available to any eligible group.
The first grant period is mid-July 2026 to March 31, 2027.
One year grants also available in Spring 2027 and 2028 – grant period from May to March.
Extensions cannot be granted – any unspent funds must be returned.
Please tell us as early as possible if you will not be able to spend the grant so that funds can be redistributed.
We can support any costs associated with providing the funded activities including perishable and non-perishable goods, capital costs and equipment (e.g. additional fridges or storage at your organisation), staff and volunteer costs, venue hire, transport (e.g. to community meals or other activities), administrative costs, reasonable contribution to organisation overheads/core costs.

Funds allocated by the UK government’s Crisis & Resilience Fund to BCP Council.

All applications are now made on our online portal. Please use the same username (email) and password to access the portal each time – you will be able to see all your current applications and previous applications.

Attach the following supporting documents to your application, or send them to grants@dorsetcf.org
• A copy of your constitution or governing document, if you are not registered at Companies House or the Charities Commission
• A copy of a recent bank statement no more than three months old. This can be a scan or photo of paper statement, or a copy downloaded from an online account. We need to see the bank name and the account name, number and sort code
• A copy of your latest annual accounts (if they more than a year old, please send draft accounts for the current year if possible). In the case of new groups, please send a financial forecast or budget for your first year if you have one
• Your Safeguarding policy and Equality & Diversity policy
• CICs operating more than one year should also provide their CIC 34 report, and those with micro accounts only should provide their trading profit and loss accounts
You do not need to send any of these documents if you have already sent them to us in the last six months – apart from your bank statement.
We have added an ‘any other information’ box to all o
ur application forms for anything you need clarifying.

Due to government reporting deadlines, you will be asked to submit an online End of Grant Report by April 12 of the year following the grant payment.
You should have tools in place to measure and record the intended outcomes of the grant. Examples may include feedback forms or questionnaires, interviews or discussion groups, recording observations, attendance logs or other relevant data. We do not expect complex or multiple methods.
Completion of an online End of Grant report is a requirement of funding. It must include how funds were spent, outcomes achieved (for beneficiaries and or your organisation), learning during the grant period and individual case studies where relevant.
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