Families First News

New funding opportunities!

Please review the Grants Page on our Families First Portal which we are regularly updating and please see the information below about some new funding opportunities.

Please also use this link to access lots of information about support for local people and organisations who may need help with technology, employment, financial assistance, health, language, online safety, shopping, funding and loneliness, etc.  

Hertfordshire Covid-19 Winter Grants Scheme

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to address food and fuel poverty.

This funding has been made available by Hertfordshire County Council as a part of the Government’s £170m National Covid-19 Winter Grants Scheme to support vulnerable people over the winter.

Applications from charities, groups and non-profit organisations supporting vulnerable adults that fall into any of the following categories are eligible to apply for funding:

  • Individuals in crisis (such as people facing poverty, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, poor mental health, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction etc) and their families, with or without children
  • Those facing food poverty
  • Those facing fuel poverty
  • Minority and marginalised groups who have been particularly impacted by Covid-19

Local Connections Fund

This is a new £4 million fund to help charities and community groups in England that are working to reduce loneliness by helping them build connections across their communities. This will be used to fund hundreds of ‘microgrants’ between £300 and £2,500, so small, local organisations (with an annual income of £50,000 or less) can bring people and communities together. Example projects include book clubs, walking groups and any other community interests that bring people together.

The Local Connections Fund will be split into two equal rounds of funding. DCMS will provide the first £2 million round of funding - which will be distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund. This first round will be open for applications on 5 January 2021 and close on 26 January 2021.

Successful applicants for this round of funding must have spent the money and finished their project by 31 March 2021.

Hertfordshire Community Foundation

This organisation provides a range of grants to support the county's community and voluntary groups. Please review their website for further information.

Please contact us at FamiliesFirst.Support@hertfordshire.gov.uk if you hear of any grants that you feel could be of benefit to the Families First Partnership.

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