Charity, Dorset | Posted on April 28th, 2026 | return to news

Poverty fund launched for Dorset residents

The £425,000 BCP Crisis and Resilience Fund will focus on providing funding for community meals and cookery workshops.

With the current rise in the cost of living and the prediction that higher prices could last for eight months after the ending of the war in the Middle East, a fund to support people on low incomes to overcome poverty is much needed.

Dorset Community Foundation and BCP Council have launched the £425,000 BCP Crisis and Resilience Fund. This replaces the BCP Food and Energy Support Fund, which ran for almost five years and awarded more than 300 grants totalling over £1.7m to 78 different groups.

The community foundation’s grants manager, Ellie Maguire, said: “We held a Stories of Change event recently with organisations that had been funded by the BCP Food and Energy Support Fund, and it was inspiring to hear many of them speak about the difference they make through the wraparound support and community connection they provide for people.

“We want this funding to continue to invest in the voluntary and community sector and the great work that they provide by supporting projects that have a ‘no wrong door’ approach that will direct people in crisis to the right places for immediate help, but also then help equip them to deal with future financial shocks through advice and support that makes them more resilient in the future.”

The emphasis will be less on food parcels but more on community meals, cookery workshops, school holiday activities for low-income families, providing spaces and activities that bring people together, and advice such as budget planning and money advice, energy efficiency and other preventative and resilience support that help prevent crises.

The fund will offer one-year grants of up to £7,500 and grants of up to £15,000 a year until 2029 – depending on the size of the applicant – to give charities and groups more certainty in their planning.

“The council carried out a survey with local groups and asked them how they would like to see the funding programme run, and we got a really positive response,” said Ellie. “We are pleased to be able to offer a multi-year grant scheme in response to feedback for more funding stability.”

She said applicants who work closely in partnership with other organisations to develop an interconnected range of resilience services across BCP will be welcomed.

“We are looking to fund grassroots charities and voluntary groups that provide a wide range of support for vulnerable and low-income households, including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, disabled people, single-person households and those struggling with one-off financial shocks,” she said.

Grants will support any costs associated with the project, including perishable and non-perishable goods, capital costs and equipment, staff and volunteer costs, venue hire, transport, admin costs and reasonable organisational overheads or core costs.

“Groups applying for multi-year grants should also factor in inflation for the three years of the project,” said Ellie.

The deadline for applications is 4 June, and all projects must be completed by the end of March 2029.

To find out more about eligibility and how to apply, go to dorsetcommunityfoundation.org/apply-for-a-grant/grants-for-groups.

Anyone struggling with the cost of living can go to the BCP Council’s Cost of Living page on its website, which details help available, including a food map showing locations of food banks and community food projects. It can be found at: bcpcouncil.gov.uk/communities/cost-of-living-help/cost-of-living-help-with-money/crisis-and-resilience-fund-crf.