Warm Welcome grant

Spiralling energy costs and a general cost of living crisis is anticipated to cause significant issues for many of the Borough’s residents this winter. Recent predictions suggest that many people, and in particular those with lower incomes, will not be able to afford to heat their home.

In response to this situation the Borough Council along with the County Council and Housing and Voluntary Sector partners are coordinating a joint response to enable and assist communities in supporting the vulnerable and those most at need.

As an immediate response to the crisis the Borough Council has allocated £10,000 to assist community-based organisations in providing community spaces where local residents can come to keep warm during the winter months.

Funding is available for:

Small grants of up to £300 are available to assist in the delivery of ‘Warm Welcome’ spaces across the Borough in community settings. Not for profit organisations and Parish / Town Councils that have their own organisation bank account are eligible to apply to the scheme. Requests from informal groups of residents will be considered if a recognised not for profit organisation is willing to hold funds on behalf of the project. Grants will be paid up front and can be used to cover costs such as:

• Utility and running costs
• Basic food or refreshment costs
• Materials or equipment
• Room hire costs where this is not available

‘Warm Welcome’ spaces must be open to all and either free of charge to access or at a significantly reduced cost if they are delivered in conjunction with structured activity. ‘Warm Welcome’ spaces must also be also be delivered as a direct response to the current cost of living crisis. Preference will be given to requests that prove value for money or demonstrate a response to an identified gap in provision. Applicants will be asked to clearly identify where their ‘Warm Welcome’ space will be provided and what days / times it will be open to the general public. The Council is particularly keen to support ‘Warm Welcome’ spaces that are open at evenings and weekends.

Further to this a ‘Warm Welcome’ logo has been developed that has been printed on to various size window stickers that can be displayed on doors and windows to promote your venue as a warm space. These are available free of charge to all warm spaces in the Borough whether they have received ‘Warm Welcome’ funding or not. The Borough Council and partners are also looking at launching a coordinated media campaign to notify the public of what warm spaces are available in their community and a range of extra support services are being developed work alongside them.

Application process:

Voluntary and Community Sector organisations or Parish / Town Councils which to apply for a ‘Warm Welcome’ grant are asked to complete the short application form attached return via email to Margaret.elwick@scarborough.gov.uk . Applications will be open until 31 December 2022 or until all £10,000 has been allocated and will be assessed on a first come first served basis. Decisions are anticipated to be made within 10 days of submitting your application. For more information or advice with completing the application form please contact Matthew Joseph at matthew.joseph@scarborough.gov.uk .