£500,000 in grants to tackle fuel poverty announced in major programme of support for MK National Grid users.
Electricity distributor National Grid is helping to tackle fuel poverty by offering grants to charities and community groups who assist others.
The company is making half a million pounds available across Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire through its ‘Community Matters Fund’ to charitable groups who assist with advice and services to people who need it, during colder months.
These include distributing energy efficient measures such as insulated curtains and draught excluders for homes, offering advice on keeping houses warm, running warm spaces in community buildings and providing winter discounts and fuel poverty advice.
Registered charities or non-profit companies limited by guarantee can apply for up to £5,000, while constituted charitable organisations without a charity number can apply for up to £2,000, until the closing date of 1st November.
“We’re keen to support projects in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes that will have a long-term impact beyond the initial funding, for example, a venture helping people save money on energy bills on an ongoing and sustainable basis,” said Ellie Patey, Community Engagement Manager at National Grid Electricity Distribution.
“Applications are particularly welcome from grassroots organisations serving economically disadvantaged areas and targeting historically underrepresented and marginalised groups.”
As well as offering grants, National Grid has eight fuel poverty schemes with key partners in each of its four licence areas – the West Midlands, East Midlands, South West and South Wales. Each scheme delivers wide-ranging, specialist, one-to-one support to tackle fuel poverty.
Among them are the ‘Power Up’ and ‘Affordable Warmth’ schemes, which connect customers in the regions with partners who can help them save money and keep warm. Last year the scheme assisted more than 23,000 customers to benefit from £23 million in savings.
National Grid is looking to offer more help this winter through partnerships with external organisations. This includes the ‘Warm Welcome Campaign’, which supports a network of 4,000 community-based warm spaces for people to meet.
The partnership will assist the warm spaces, to provide training for their volunteers, and enable people to be referred onto fuel poverty schemes for longer-term support.
