While this article provides details of the ASDA Foundation’s Cost-of-Living Grants programme, the following two schemes also have application deadlines of Friday 21st April 2023.
1. Empowering Local Communities – this scheme offers grants of between £500 and £1,500 to UK community groups and organisations for local projects that enable people to lead more active lives, improve mental health and wellbeing and bring people together for events that celebrate their community.
2. Under 18s Better Start Grants – will provide grants of between £500 and £1,500 to local community organisations across the UK to support activities for children and young people aged 18 and under that will improve their lives and their community.
The Cost-of-Living Grants programme offers grants to local community organisations whose services are being adversely affected. The programme has two main priorities:
1. Funding to cover rent and utility costs, especially where this relates to 'Warm Banks' where groups are aiming to keep their facilities open for longer to provide local people with a warm, safe place to be rather than heating their homes or living in a cold property (for example, drop in and day centres), and
2. Funding food for community cafes, food parcels, delivered meals, soup kitchens, etc.
UK-based local not-for-profit community groups may apply for a grant of between £500 and £2,000, providing they meet the following criteria:
o Beneficiaries must be groups of people in a local community.
o The applying organisations must have a presence in the local community, and
o The applying organisation must provide services that benefit the local community.
Please note that new groups can apply to the fund: the Foundation has not stated a minimum or maximum amount of time a group must have been active in order to be eligible to apply.
Funding is not available for:
o Buying alcohol.
o Day trips, excursions or travel/transport.
o Groups based outside the UK.
o Groups whose main purpose is to benefit animals.
o Individuals.
o Insurances.
o Membership schemes.
o Ongoing salary costs.
o Promotional work.
o Raffle prizes.
o Restaurant meals.
o Storage costs.
o Third party grant-making organisations.
o Transport costs.
o Volunteer-only celebration events, or
o Voucher schemes..
The programme is being managed by the Community Champion in each ASDA store. The Community Champion should be contacted for an application form. A store locator is available on the ASDA website.
Further information and guidance about the Cost-of-Living and other available grant programmes is available on the Foundation’s website.
Applications should be submitted at least 6 weeks before activities are due to begin to give enough processing time and should include:
o Bank statement/paying in slip.
o Confirmation that the group is a not-for-profit organisation, particularly isf they’re not a registered charity.
o Digital signature declaration (for applicants not proving a handwritten signature), and
o Group documents (for example, constitution, rules, etc).
The deadline for applications is Friday 21st April 2023.
