Apply for the Financial Wellbeing Community Fund
Using funding from the Government’s Crisis and Resilience Fund we have launched the Financial Wellbeing Community Fund in partnership with Heart of Bucks.
Aim of the fund
The fund aims to support voluntary and community organisations that contribute towards improving the financial wellbeing of residents and families in Buckinghamshire.
There are 2 objectives of this fund:
- to improve individuals’ financial resilience and help residents to better manage financial shocks and prevent the occurrence, recurrence and escalation of crises
- to boost local-level support via a joined-up, visible local support network - this includes strengthening resilience networks within local communities, that in turn improves the financial resilience of individuals within these communities
Which organisations are eligible
Voluntary or community organisations will need to support the objectives of the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
The organisation must:
- be based in Buckinghamshire or operate for the benefit of residents in the area administered by Buckinghamshire Council
- have at least 3 unrelated trustees or directors
- be able to demonstrate appropriate financial controls (usually clear segregation of duties)
- have a bank account in the organisation’s name (in some cases, funding may be issued via a lead or umbrella organisation)
Examples of eligible organisations include:
- constituted not-for profit organisations (such as registered charities, community groups, social enterprises)
- Town and Parish Councils
- faith groups (if the project is open to all) - if the faith group is not a registered charity additional checks on governance and financial controls will be put in place
What we can fund
The second part of eligibility is that organisations must support the objectives of the Crisis and Resilience Fund. So they must help support residents to build up financial resilience and deal with or avoid financial shocks.
Funding could be put towards:
- setup
- infrastructure
- training
- community coordination
- activities that support financial resilience
- reducing reliance on emergency food
Examples of ways an organisation could do this that would make them eligible are by providing:
For example:
- money management and budgeting support
- support with benefits
- credit union partnerships providing affordable credit and savings schemes
For example:
- training for frontline staff and volunteers to make sure that residents accessing services including crisis services, receive skilled wrap-around support
- budgeting, financial confidence or benefits training
For example, teaching residents:
- how to cook on a budget
- digital skills to help them with benefits or household budgeting
For example funding could be used for:
- helping food banks transition into Community Fridges, larders or social supermarkets
- schemes that help transition people away from repeat food bank use
- peer support or mentoring schemes that strengthen financial wellbeing
- targeted or outreach support aimed at groups with a higher risk of financial vulnerability (for example people with long-term or complex financial needs)
What we cannot fund
We cannot fund:
- the ongoing purchase of food for food banks or similar
- food vouchers for schools, colleges or early years settings
- core organisational costs not linked to CRF objectives
- activities unrelated to financial resilience or crisis prevention
- duplication of fully funded statutory services
- capital projects or major asset purchases (small equipment costs would be acceptable)
Apply for the grant
The funding will cover the period from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027.
You can apply for either:
- a small grant of up to £9,999
- larger grants from £10,000 to £100,000