The Gateshead Hardship Fund application guidelines

The Gateshead Hardship Fund is a demand-led fund supporting projects focused on poverty reduction and income maximization through tangible changes to poor people's lives including through:

• service delivery: for example, fuel poverty or social welfare advice at specialist level including casework and representation for appeals and strategic legal action.
• advocacy: for example, on issues such as the impact of welfare reform; improving the welfare support system; reducing the cost of living; and reframing public attitudes to poverty, improving pay for those on low incomes; addressing exploitation in the workplace; improving and promoting good employment practice.
• empowerment and accountability: for example, increasing the involvement of people with lived experience of poverty and inequality in campaigning and leadership of organisations and movements.
• Community activities, led by communities, in socially isolated areas: for example, bringing together different groups of people to respond to local needs and gaps in services.
• work readiness: increasing employability or entrepreneurship to move people closer to the job market, improve their financial capability and resilience.

We are particularly interested in new and imaginative ways of addressing the root causes of poverty in Gateshead, especially applications with the potential to do one or more of the following:

• increase household income
• reduce the cliff edge for people moving between benefits and work
• influence and change policy, practice and public attitudes
• build community resilience and capacity

Projects will be selected based on demonstrable impact on poverty, clarity of outputs and outcomes, appropriate consideration of value for money and the extent to which they support the Thrive agenda, which is to:

• put people and families at the heart of everything we do
• tackle inequality so people have a fair chance
• support our communities to support themselves and each other
• invest in our economy to provide sustainable opportunities for employment, innovation and growth across the borough
• work together and fight for a better future for Gateshead

What cannot be supported

We are unlikely to support projects focused primarily on areas such as research, faith or religious beliefs, health, environment and education. However, if these are addressed as components of broader projects and there is a clear and direct link between these components and the achievement of the primary outcomes relating to increases in household income, reducing the cliff edge for people moving between benefits and work or changes to policy, practice and public attitudes then these secondary outcomes are welcome.

To note

The Gateshead Hardship Fund is a one-off sum of money. When it is gone, it is gone. It will not be replenished. 

There is no minimum or maximum amount set for individual applications. Actual funding amounts will be determined using factors such as the strategic alignment, scope, size and potential impact of the project or initiative.

We expect the fund to be heavily subscribed. Not all applications will receive funding, and successful projects may receive only partial funding or applicants may be encouraged to collaborate if there are obvious synergies with another application. 

If there are multiple competing projects, and there is insufficient funding to provide support for each project, priority will be given to projects those that show:

• demonstrable impact on poverty
• clarity of outputs and outcomes
• show appropriate consideration of value for money
• the extent to which they support the Thrive agenda

Review, appeal and decision-making

Application must be completed in full. It should include all the project information such as the start and end date, deliverables, monitoring and evaluation. Where possible applicants should show leverage to other funding or in-kind support for the project.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Poverty [Funding] Advisory Committee, a sub-committee of the Gateshead Poverty Board.

Final authority for funding decisions will rest with the Director of Public Health, Alice Wiseman.