The Asda Foundation has three grant programmes currently open to application, all with a deadline of Friday 1st March 2024. The Foundation’s Cost-of-Living Grants programme is covered in this article, while details of its Empowering Local Communities Grants and Under-18 Better Start Grants can be found on its website.
The Cost-of-Living programme offers grants to local community organisations across the UK 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 if 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 1st March 2024.
Contact details for the Foundation are:
The ASDA Foundation
Asda House
Southbank
Great Wilson Street
Leeds
LS11 5AD
Tel: 01132 435435
Email: asdafoundation(at)asda.co.uk
