About
Since 1988, Hertfordshire Community Foundation has partnered with local philanthropists—including businesses, families, and individuals—to deliver targeted support where it is needed most within communities. As an independent charity, it is dedicated to providing grants and support to small charities and community groups across Hertfordshire, ensuring essential resources reach those who need them the most.
Funding Opportunities
Bowley Fund
The Bowley Fund provides grants of up to £500 for disadvantaged families living in the Watford and Three Rivers districts of Hertfordshire to purchase essential items. The fund supports the purchase of white goods (cookers, washing machines, fridge freezers), children's single beds and bedding, baby items (pushchairs, cots, car seats), and specialist medical equipment for children. The Bowley Charity was founded in 1951 by Mrs Ethel Bowley to support disadvantaged children in south west Hertfordshire. In 2022, the fund was transferred to Hertfordshire Community Foundation to better serve local children and families. Applications must be submitted by qualified professionals such as social workers, health visitors, or support workers who know the family and can assess their needs. The fund cannot accept applications directly from individuals or families. If approved, awards are given to the supporting professional who manages and supervises the purchase on behalf of the family.
Hertfordshire Children's Fund
The Hertfordshire Children's Fund has been supporting disadvantaged children (ages 0-18, or up to 25 with disabilities) in Hertfordshire since 1996. The fund provides grants of up to £500 for families in crisis to purchase essential household items including white goods like cookers, washing machines, and fridge freezers, as well as children's beds, baby items, and specialist medical equipment. The programme aims to help keep families safe, healthy, and clean by providing basic necessities they cannot otherwise afford. Applications must be submitted by supporting professionals who work with the family, such as social workers, children's centres, housing associations, or charitable organizations. Direct applications from individuals or families are not accepted. The fund operates on limited resources and can only fund one white good per family. Awards are provided in the form of e-vouchers to approved suppliers, which the supporting professional manages on behalf of the family. The programme reviews applications through a panel process, with decisions typically made within approximately one month. Successful applicants receive vouchers for specified suppliers to purchase approved items, and must provide proof of purchase within one month. The fund relies on both a small endowment and generous donations to meet growing demand for assistance.
The Ware Charities
The Ware Charities provides grants of up to £500 for disadvantaged individuals and families who are permanently housed or have a secure offer of housing in the parishes of Ware, Thundridge and Wareside in Hertfordshire. The Charity is a local organisation, long established and funded by legacies, which provides financial support to people in need living in these specific areas. Grant applications must be made by a practitioner (such as a support worker, social worker, case officer, health visitor, teacher, minister of religion, or local councillor) who knows the beneficiary and is qualified to assess their needs. The Charity can provide support to individuals and families struggling for basic living needs (such as critical white goods and basic furnishings) and parents and carers seeking to retrain and needing help with course fees. Since 2023, the fund has been administered by Hertfordshire Community Foundation (HCF) to better serve local individuals and families in the specified parishes.
Small Music Grants
The HCF Small Music Grants are made to improve access to music for children and young people living in the county of Hertfordshire. Applications can come from charities, community groups, non-profits and schools. The programme prioritises applications benefitting children and young people experiencing financial deprivation, and those excluded from mainstream music opportunities due to disability or neurodivergence. Grants can be used to support capital, project or running costs, including purchasing musical instruments, purchasing other musical equipment, and providing music therapy. Applications are considered throughout the year, with a response time of approximately two months from submission.
HCC Community Transport Fund - to enable residents to access Clubs, Activities and Community Spaces
Grants of up to £500 are available to groups to help transport residents to their local clubs, activities or Community Spaces. This includes lunch clubs and essential support for those who live in rural areas. The funding has been made available by Hertfordshire County Council to enable isolated residents to be transported to community spaces. Applications are welcome from charities, community and voluntary groups and not for profit organisations. Parish Councils working alongside community groups are also welcome to apply. The fund operates on a rolling basis with an approximate 2-month turnaround time for decisions.
Community Spaces Fund
The Community Spaces Fund provides grants to community groups, charities, and voluntary organizations in Hertfordshire to create welcoming spaces where local people can socialize and participate in activities. Also known as Cool/Warm Spaces, this funding supports groups that provide safe, free spaces for vulnerable residents affected by the rising cost of living, including warm spaces in winter and cool spaces in summer. The funding is made available by Hertfordshire County Council as part of the Government's Household Support Grant. Applications are welcome from not-for-profit organizations, voluntary groups, charities, faith groups, and Parish Councils working alongside community groups. Previously registered Warm or Cool Spaces can reapply if at least six months have passed since their previous grant. Grants can be used for energy costs, transport to venue, volunteer expenses, provision of free or subsidised food and drinks, and training. The fund is specifically for new Community Spaces or extensions to existing services, not for running costs of existing services. Additional transport funding of up to £500 is available for rural spaces or groups needing to help residents reach their venue.
HCF Grants
Grants are available for projects that are addressing identified need and benefitting residents of Hertfordshire. Successful applications from this programme are funded by a range of the individual, family and corporate funds managed by HCF. HCF are looking for projects that are meeting an identified need in the county, can demonstrate how the money requested will help them to make a positive difference with clear objectives and outcomes, are well thought through and costed appropriately, are well connected to the communities they serve, and will be able to spend the funding requested within 12 months of the grant being awarded. The programme offers two tiers of funding: grants up to £5,000 and grants up to £10,000, with the larger grants considered by the Grants Committee at scheduled rounds throughout the year. Organizations can only hold one grant at a time from the HCF Foundation Grants programme.
Hertfordshire Household Support Fund for Groups
Grants available to charities, community groups and non-profit organisations working in areas of deprivation in Hertfordshire that support adults in need by providing access to food and/or support with bills such as fuel and water. The fund can also be used to provide support with essentials linked to energy and water. This funding is primarily to be used to provide support with food and energy for those in need, including support in kind or through vouchers. The fund can also be used for preventative support activities which prevent vulnerable households from falling into crisis, advice and guidance services including debt and benefit advice, access to affordable food through community pantries and kitchens, and skills development to help people move into or closer to employment. Priority will be given to local groups with in-depth knowledge of the issues they are dealing with and the communities they serve. Applications are particularly encouraged from groups supporting adults in crisis, those facing food poverty, those facing fuel poverty, minority and marginalised groups, and groups supporting those with disabilities.
At a Glance
- Total Funding Opportunities
- 9
- Active Now
- 8
- Source Domain
- hertscf.org.uk
Catalog Data
This funder profile was automatically extracted from grant listings. Information may be incomplete.
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