A FUND backed by BCP Council to help groups and charities supporting households impacted by the rising cost of living is open for applications for grants of up to £10,000.

Dorset Community Foundation’s BCP Food and Energy Support Fund is utilising £225,000 from the government’s Household Support Fund to help people get through the winter.

The fund aims to support projects in the BCP area providing a range of help for those who are struggling to afford household essentials including energy and water bills, food, and wider essentials. This may include community meals, food skills initiatives, warmth packs and warm spaces, alongside support with signposting and advice.

This is the sixth time the fund has opened in three years, with more than £1 million distributed through hundreds of grants. The community foundation’s Grants Manager Ellie Maguire said: “The fund can support any costs associated with providing the funded activities, including perishable and non-perishable goods, capital costs and equipment such as additional fridges or storage, staff and volunteer costs, venue hire, transport, admin costs and reasonable contributions to organisation overheads or core costs.”

The most recent round, in the summer, awarded £225,000 to 32 groups across the BCP area. Among the recipients was Poole Waste Not Want Not, which used an £8,174 grant to stock its social supermarket and provide free food bags to vulnerable families and picnic bags to parents so they could take their children out in the summer holidays.

Chief Executive Erika Sloper said the supermarket supports more than 650 households in the area. “This grant has directly benefitted our members who struggle financially, ensuring they have access to nutritious food, such as fresh meat, chilled items, butter, yogurts, and fruits and vegetables, not forgetting hygiene and cleaning products,” she said. “Our aim is to have a lasting impact on well-being and stability in families, by offering healthy food choices at prices they can afford.”

This grant has directly benefitted our members who struggle financially, ensuring they have access to nutritious food, such as fresh meat, chilled items, butter, yogurts, and fruits and vegetables, not forgetting hygiene and cleaning products

Townsend Community Association used its £6,728 grant for a variety of projects, including cooking and freezing healthy meals for its community fridge, training volunteers, organising an outing with a lunch for older residents and running cookery classes and an air fryer demonstration with the Friendly Food Club.

Recreate Dorset was awarded £4,951 for its Community Mondays at its hub in Gladstone Road, Boscombe, where staff and volunteers welcome people experiencing hardship from poverty and are struggling to heat their homes and maintain a healthy diet. Director Carol Maund said: “We know they all exist on very low incomes, so we have encouraged them to attend the Monday sessions and they enjoy the interaction with other residents.”

Dorset Community Foundation Chief Executive Grant Robson said: “We are thankful for the trust the council has placed in us again to ensure this money goes to the people and the projects who need it most. There is so much incredible wok going on in our communities to keep people of all ages and backgrounds warm, fed and feeling like they are cared for and respected. This money will go a long way to ensuring that work continues.”

Councillor Sandra Moore, Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships at BCP Council said: “We are proud to be supporting Dorset Community Foundation’s BCP Food and Energy Support Fund, a valuable initiative which will continue to support our residents in navigating cost-of-living challenges.

“It is heartening to see the positive impact it has had on various community groups and charities, and we are confident that this round of funding will continue to make a significant difference. By working together, we can ensure that everyone in our community has access to the resources they need to stay warm, nourished, and supported.”

Applications are open until midday on November 11 and grants must be spent between December 1 and March 31, 2025. Apply here.