Resilience Through Food Fund

Food is often a gateway to other forms of support, as well as being a response to hardship in itself. This Fund offers grants to build financial resilience through engagement with neighbourhood food projects.

Grants of between £5,000 and £30,000 are available from a pot of £700,000.

Norfolk-based Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations embedded in their communities, can apply to deliver support between December 2026 and September 2027.

This Fund is part of Norfolk’s allocation of the Crisis and Resilience Fund. It builds upon learning from funding programmes previously part of the Household Support Fund.

The Fund is intended to support a wide range of audiences 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 Crisis and Resilience Fund.

What can be funded?

Grants can fund eligible organisations to deliver a new, enhanced or existing offer which must include all three of these elements:

1) Food provision: Free or low cost/affordable food targeted at people most in need delivered through community meals, social supermarkets, food banks and/or other food provision models.

2) Advice/support: Activities designed to build financial resilience such as budgeting advice, financial literacy training and/or employment support (such as job searching or CV writing) delivered alongside the food offer (delivered by the organisation or a partner organisation).

3) Communities together: Bringing people together to increase opportunities for community safety nets and informal support, in their local area.

Applications can include the provision of food vouchers for those most in need. This should be no more than 10% of the total grant request.

Strong applications will demonstrate the following outcomes:

Increased savings and reduced material deprivation
Increased access to appropriate and quality advice services
Fewer repeat crisis applications and reduced need for emergency food parcels

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 individuals 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 30 September 2027.

This funding is not right for you if:

You want to deliver crisis support to households to help with food, energy or other essentials.
You will not be able to spend the grant in full by 30 September 2027.
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 deadline for submitting applications is 12 noon on Wednesday 14th October. We will confirm funding decisions by the first week of December. Funded activity must be complete by 30th September 2027, so you should apply for and plan to deliver up to 8-months of activity.

Reporting on the grant must be submitted promptly in October 2027.

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.

Application FAQs

How else is the Crisis and Resilience Fund supporting households in Norfolk?

Crisis and Resilience Service (CRS); Norfolk households can apply directly to Norfolk County Council for food and pre-payment energy support, essential items and costs, and access to wider support.
Norfolk Crisis and Resilience Grant Programme; VCSE organisations can apply directly to Norfolk County Council for larger scale projects that help people avoid financial hardship and build long-term resilience.

For full information about the Crisis and Resilience Fund in Norfolk, see here: Crisis and Resilience Fund – Norfolk County Council

Call for Applications

Open

Maximum Grant

£5,000 – £30,000

Deadline

14 October 2026 – 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

Apply online Applications FAQs