Preventing Hardship – Winter Fund
This Fund offers grants to undertake preventative support for households at risk of falling into, or falling further into, financial hardship this winter.
Grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 are available from a pot of £372,500.
Norfolk-based Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations embedded in their communities, can apply to deliver support between October 2025 and March 2026.
The Fund is intended to support a wide range of households to prevent escalation into financial crisis. This includes households with: –
- the highest risk of living in poverty e.g. low-income households
- higher than average living costs due to needs associated with protected characteristics e.g. individuals with disabilities, or pensioners
- responsibilities for others who find it difficult to manage additional costs e.g. unpaid carers
- a heightened risk of hardship e.g. care leavers, single-parent households, or those struggling with one-off financial shocks or unforeseen events
This funding has been made possible by Norfolk County Council working with the Department of Work & Pensions on the Household Support Fund.
What types of preventative activity can be funded?
1) Collaboration and Community Safety Nets
We support projects that build community safety nets—local, collaborative responses that help people access support before reaching crisis point. These initiatives bring services to where people already are and foster stronger, more resilient communities. Examples include:
- Advice services that help people:
- Navigate the benefits system and understand entitlements.
- Access employment support, including job search, CV writing, and skills development.
- Improve financial literacy, including debt management and budgeting.
- Integrated outreach: embedding support services into community spaces such as food projects, warm hubs, or shared venues.
- Skill-building activities that promote money-saving and resilience:
- Cost-effective cooking and meal planning.
- Budgeting and financial planning.
- Understanding and accessing benefits.
2) Support for Older People (65 and Over)
We welcome projects that help older people stay warm, healthy, and financially secure, particularly through the winter months e.g.
- Warm spaces or lunch clubs that also offer access to wraparound support services.
- Energy advice or home visits to identify risks and provide practical help.
- Projects should focus on essential needs (e.g. heating, food, access to services) rather than non-essential activities (e.g. leisure trips).
3) Energy-Efficient and Affordable Household Appliances
We encourage projects that reduce long-term financial pressure by helping households access energy-efficient and affordable appliances e.g.
- Support to replace inefficient appliances (e.g. fridges, washing machines) with energy-efficient alternatives.
- Access to affordable ownership schemes that help people buy rather than rent appliances, reducing high monthly outgoings.
- Advice and support to help households understand appliance running costs and make informed, cost-effective choices.
This funding may be right for you if:
- You are a VCSE organisation with a track record of delivery who can move quickly to deliver support where it is most needed.
- You already have established routes through which households connect with you for preventative support around hardship.
- You will be able to act promptly as soon as funding is awarded.
- You will be able to spend the grant in full by 31 March 2026.
This funding is not right for you if:
- You want to deliver crisis support to households to help with food, energy or other essentials. Please see Norfolk Household Support Fund for this kind of activity.
- You will not be able to spend the grant in full by 31 March 2026.
- Your activity is a capital (building) project for a community building.
- The Fund cannot support fundraising activities.
What else do I need to know?
When to apply
The Fund is now open. The deadline for submitting applications is 12 noon on Thursday 17th July 2025. We will confirm funding decisions by mid-September. Grants must be spent in full by the end of March 2026, so you should apply for and plan to deliver up to 6 months of funded activity. Any funds not spent by this date will be returned to Norfolk County Council. There will be no opportunity for extensions, so please ensure you can meet this timescale before making an application.
Reporting on the grant must be submitted promptly at the end of the project timeline (March 2026).
How to apply
All applicants should check they meet NCF’s general eligibility criteria, and read the Application FAQs document below before making an application.
To begin an online application, click Apply online below.
How else is the Household Support Fund supporting households in Norfolk?
This Fund focuses on funding preventative support. Crisis support for households is available through the following schemes:
- Norfolk Household Support Fund (VCSE crisis funding); grants for VCSE organisations to support households with food and energy costs, up to a value of £100 per household
- Norfolk Crisis Support Fund; households can apply directly to Norfolk County Council for a Crisis Support Fund payment in the form of a food voucher or a gas/electricity meter payment (via Paypoint).
For full information about the Household Support Fund in Norfolk, see here: Household Support Fund – Norfolk County Council
Call for Applications
Open
Maximum Grant
£5,000 – £20,000
Deadline
17 July 2025 – 12:00pm
Who can apply?
Charity, Faith organisation, Parish/Town Council, Social Enterprise/CIC, and Voluntary/Community Group
Eligible Area
Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Norwich, and South Norfolk
Find Out More & Apply
Interested? Talk to The Programmes Team
