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The Real Help for Communities Hardship Fund

Hardship Fund has now closed

The Hardship Fund is now fully allocated and has closed for applications. A total of 193 grants have been made to third sector organisations delivering front-line services to vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

Building on the £42.5 million of measures in the Government’s Real Help for Communities Action Plan, the Hardship Fund offered grants of between £50,000 and £250,000 to provide support to third sector organisations in England delivering front line services to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society.

The Hardship Fund provided support for third sector organisations that were suffering financial hardship to the extent that it was impacting on their ability to deliver services in the areas of health and social care, housing support, education and training, and advice, information and guidance.

The Hardship Fund was administered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF) and an evaluation of the programme is being carried out.

Further information 

• More information on the fund, including details of the organisations that received grants, can be found on the CDF website Hardship fund [external website].
• Visit this link for further information on 'Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises'.
• Hardship Fund case studies.