Knowsley Council’s Winter Wellness Grants Programme will provide grants for the borough’s community, voluntary, faith and social enterprise organisations who are delivering projects aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness and reducing food and fuel poverty. They will also support groups helping to improve the mental health and wellbeing of residents.
Organisations are expected to use the funding to provide new activities or extend the provision of existing activities. Grant-funded projects must start after 28 November 2022 and end on or before 31 March 2023.
The types of activities which could be funded would include breakfast or after school clubs, providing blankets or warm winter clothing to vulnerable people, lunch clubs, baby and toddler groups with refreshments, evening or weekend meal provision, providing a warm space with refreshments and activity, outreach to communities to provide food parcels to vulnerable residents.
Who can apply?
Grassroots community-based organisations who understand the needs of their local communities and are well-placed to offer this type of support. You must be registered as a community organisation and/or be constituted as a group with a clear set of adopted rules.
When can we apply?
The fund is now open for applications. Please read the Application Guidance and Criteria (below) and complete an Application form. All completed application forms should be sent to communitychampions@knowsley.gov.uk by 6 November 2022.
Cllr Christine Bannon, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Health said: “This is just one of the ways in which we are supporting residents through the cost-of-living crisis – providing our community groups with the support they need to help residents improve their health and wellbeing through the tough winter months.”
If you have any questions about the Winter Wellness Grants Programme, including questions about how to apply, please email communitychampions@knowsley.gov.uk
Application guidance and criteria
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to Community, Voluntary, Faith and Social Enterprise Organisations who are based in Knowsley. The purpose of the fund is to support community-based organisations to deliver activities and interventions to help local residents to stay warm, safe and well this winter.
Application period: 21 October until 6 November 2022.
Successful applicants will be notified of the award decisions after 28 November 2022
| The Winter Wellness Grants Programme will provide funding to enable community organisations to:
· Deliver activities or interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness. · Deliver activities or interventions to help reduce fuel poverty. · Deliver activities or interventions to help reduce food poverty. · Deliver activities or interventions which will help to improve the mental health and wellbeing of residents. · Deliver other activities or interventions which will help residents to stay warm, safe and well during the winter. Organisations who receive Winter Wellness funding will also be expected to: · Raise awareness and encourage the uptake of the annual winter flu jab and COVID-19 vaccinations as appropriate. · Raise awareness of how residents can stay warm and well by supporting the distribution of winter wellness public health messaging. · Raise awareness of services available to residents to help them during the cost-of-living crisis. · Distribute COVID-19 lateral flow test kits (to be provided) Organisations are expected to use grant funding to provide new activities. Alternatively, funding could be used to extend activities which are currently being delivered (for example, if a group currently hosts lunch clubs for older people on Tuesdays, the funding could be used to provide an additional lunch club on Thursdays). Grant funding is not expected to be used to cover the costs of existing activities. Grant-funded projects must start after 28 November 2022 and end on or before 31 March 2023. This programme is designed to support the whole community and will also relieve some of the pressures caused by the cost-of-living crisis. Examples of possible activity you might consider are: · Breakfast or after school clubs · Provision of blankets or warm winter clothing to vulnerable people · Lunch clubs · Baby and toddler groups with refreshments · Evening or weekend meal provision · Provision of a warm space with refreshments and activity · Outreach to communities to provide food parcels to vulnerable residents. Whilst we encourage applications to include a contribution to overheads, these overhead costs should be for the new or additional activities funded by this grant – ie, not the overheads for existing ‘business as usual’ service provision. For example, applications could include overheads to cover heating costs for additional opening hours or food costs to provide a lunch club which does not already happen. Management costs for your bid should not exceed 10% of the total amount applied for. Management costs should relate directly to the proposed project. Following confirmation of the grant award, Knowsley Council will share details of funded projects with relevant organisations to encourage joint working. Knowsley Council will also promote the funded projects through its website, Knowsley News and social media feeds. Grant-holding organisations will be expected to direct residents to services and support provided by other organisations. For the latest information please refer to Cost of living support – Knowsley News. Community groups will be expected to signpost residents to other services, they may actively make referrals, or could facilitate other services to ‘drop-in’ to their activity. This will enable residents to access local support together with grants for energy and home improvements (where applicable).
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Who can apply?
Grassroots community-based organisations who understand the needs of their local communities and are well-placed to offer this type of support. You must be registered as a community organisation and/or be constituted as a group with a clear set of adopted rules.
Requirements
Groups and organisations must:
- Have a current active bank account in their own name, with a minimum of two signatories.
- Ensure the grant will be spent by 31 March 2023
- Complete an End of Grant Form (issued towards the end of the grant period) and take part in monitoring and evaluation of the programme
- Have appropriate policies and insurance in place.
- Only make one application per organisation (although this may cover various activities to a limit of £5,000)
- Collect information to monitor the impact of the project, this may include numbers attending activities, number of items distributed, number of meals served, case studies, pictures and feedback from participants
Applicants will need to be able to produce the following at the point of application:
- Governance document(a copy of your constitution, articles or memorandum of association)
- A bank statement (dated within the past three months)
- Most recent accounts or income/expenditure sheet
- Safeguarding policy
- A list of your Trustees/Directors/Management Committee members
Applicant Responsibilities
Community organisations will be expected to describe in their application how they will achieve and monitor the following primary health outcomes as relevant to their proposed activities.
| Primary health outcomes | Examples of activities |
| Contribute towards a reduction in social isolation and loneliness | Social activities and events
Signposting to group activities. |
| Contribute towards a reduction in fuel poverty | Distribution of blankets, gloves, scarves, etc. |
| Contribute towards a reduction in food poverty | Lunch clubs.
Food parcels |
| Support residents to look after their own mental health and wellbeing | Encourage new participation in social events and activities.
Sharing information/signposting to support.
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| Help residents to stay warm, safe and well this winter | Warm banks
Signposting to relevant agencies |
Applicants are also encouraged to meet the following secondary health outcomes:
| Secondary health outcomes | Examples of activities |
| Contribute towards encouraging residents to have their flu and Covid-19 vaccinations | Event attended by a health professional or service to promote vaccination
Distribution of leaflets |
| Raise awareness of how residents can stay warm and well by supporting the distribution of winter wellness public health messaging | Share information at events and activities
Distribution of leaflets |
| Raise awareness of services available to residents to help them during the cost-of-living crisis | Signposting to services |
| Distribute COVID-19 Lateral Flow Test kits (to be provided) | Distribution of kits in the community |
Applicants will also be required to collect the following information:
- The number of people taking part in the activity (families, older people, other adults, children and young people), together with other measures of activity as appropriate
- Areas of the borough where the activity is taking place
- Details of other services which were linked to your activity (eg by coming along to meet people, or by providing you with information to share)
Any promotional materials produced by the applicant regarding the funded project must display both the Knowsley Better Together and the Community Champions logos (found at the top of this page).
Organisations should ensure that their activities are delivered in a way which minimises the risk of spreading infectious diseases such as flu and Covid-19. The NHS Simple Things guidance provides advice to help to keep everyone who safe this winter: Simple Things (simplethings-nhs.com).
End of Grant Monitoring
To evaluate the success and impact of the Winter Wellness Grant Programme, you will be required to complete an End of Grant Monitoring Form at the end of the funding period. This will be issued to you towards the end of your grant period.
All completed application forms should be sent to communitychampions@knowsley.gov.uk by 6 November 2022.
If you have any questions about the Winter Wellness Grants Programme, including questions about how to apply, please email communitychampions@knowsley.gov.uk