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The “Financial Shock” Crisis Fund

The Financial Shock Crisis Fund supports people on no or low incomes who experience a financial shock, helping prevent them from falling into crisis.

The Financial Shock Crisis Fund supports people on no or low incomes who experience a financial shock, helping prevent them from falling into crisis.
The fund can help with:
  • Household costs, including rent, bills and utilities
  • Food
  • Essential transport
  • Essential household appliances and furniture
  • Priority debt
  • Wider essential

This funding is distributed on behalf of Cornwall Council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund, which has replaced the previous Household Support Fund. The fund must not be used as an ongoing source of household income and instead be used for those who experience a sudden financial shock.

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Requirements Timeline Funded projects Apply Now

Grant Categories:

  • Open
  • Grants for individuals
Grant open: 20/05/2026
Applications by: 01/01/2027
Decision date: Rolling
Type: Project costs
Area: Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Grant value: Organisations may apply for up to £3,000

Grant requirements

To apply for a grant your organisation must meet the general Eligibility Criteria. In addition to this, you must also meet the specific criteria of the grant listed below:

Who can apply

Third party organisations can include but are not limited to:
  • Registered charities and voluntary organisations
  • Food banks
  • Care organisations
How much is awarded and how often?
Organisations can apply for between £500 and £3,000 depending on capacity. They then distribute funds at their discretion to people most at risk, and suffering from financial shock. These are normally people who already use the organisation’s service and are known to them. Each household should receive no more than £350 from the Crisis Fund in a calendar year.

Reporting requirements

 

As part of the fund, organisations must provide detailed estimated and actual breakdowns of how funds are used.
Required Categories
  1. Type of Crisis
    Disaster; Accident or health emergency; Household relationship breakdown; Essential item breakdown; Unexpected loss of income; Other
  2. Support Method
    Cash; Voucher; In-kind; Other
  3. Crisis Need
    Food; Essentials; Furniture / appliances; Rent / housing costs; Essential transport; Priority debts / bills; Utilities; Other
  4. Demographics
    Children; Pensioners; Disabled individuals; Other
    And:
  5. Employed / Unemployed
  6. Benefit recipients / Non-benefit recipients
  7. Total Amount (£)
Estimated Breakdown (Application Stage)
You are required to provide a predicted breakdown of how funds will be used.
You do not need to know exact future cases, but you must provide a reasonable estimate.
Example
  • 14 households with children (total households supported)
  • Food: 3 households × £10 = £30 (cash)
  • Energy and water: 4 households × £20 = £80 (vouchers)
  • Energy-related essentials: 5 households × £20 = £100 (in-kind)
  • Wider essentials: 2 households × £30 = £60 (other)
  • 10 households with pensioners (provide similar breakdown)
Important:
  • Count each household only once, even if they receive multiple types of support
  • Please assign them to the category where they receive the highest level of support
Final Reporting (After Spending)
Once funds have been spent, you must submit a full actual breakdown, including:
Type of crisis; Employment status; Benefit status; Support provided
Example of Monitoring Sheet.
If reporting is completed satisfactorily, organisations may request a top-up grant before this deadline. However, due to limited funds, repeat applicants may not always be successful. Organisations should therefore prioritise those most vulnerable and experiencing financial shock

What it will support:

1. Financial Shock
A financial shock is a sudden and unexpected event that affects someone’s finances and wellbeing, such as:
• Unexpected loss of income
• Accident or health emergency
• Household relationship breakdown
• Breakdown of essential items
• Disaster
2. Crisis Prevention
The fund aims to:
• Provide timely support
• Help individuals manage immediate pressures
• Prevent situations from escalating into crisis
The fund must not be used as an ongoing source of household income.
For individuals with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), please contact CCF for guidance.

Cornwall Council

Ready to apply?

If you meet the eligibility criteria and are ready to submit an application, apply at the bottom of this page.

Apply now

Not sure where to start?

If this is your first time applying to us start by reading the Application Process & Guidance. Here you can find useful information and resources to guide you through the application process.

If you’d like to speak to our Outreach Officer you can find contact details at the bottom of this page.

Key dates & decisions

Below are the key dates to note for this grant.
Application open 20/05/2026
Application deadline 18/06/2026
Panel discussion Rolling
Grants decision Rolling
Estimated deposit We aim to give you a decision within 4-6 weeks of receiving the application, sooner if time permits. Please ensure that all relevant information is included and all required documents are attached to the application to speed up the process.

Deposit dates can be vary, however grants are typically paid within 
10 days of the panel decision.

Grants FAQ

You might have some questions about the application process, check our grants FAQ for answers to common questions.

Start an application

Before starting an application, check your organisation is eligible, and that have your supporting documents ready.

Accessible application submissions: 
If you have additional needs and would like support completing your application, please contact us on 01566 779333 or email us at grants@cornwallfoundation.com

Apply now:

You’ve checked our criteria, found the right grant for you and have all your documents ready so let’s start your application.

Apply now

If you've applied before

You’ve found the right grant so let’s get your application in. When you log into your account you’ll find that key documents are saved along with lots of information you’ve already provided.

Get support applying today

If you aren’t sure if one of our grants is right for you, you can contact our Community Outreach Officer. Shannon can answer your questions and guide you through the process. Book a Grant Support Call, or reach out using the details below.

Lucy DeGlanville

Grants Officer

lucy.deglanville@cornwallfoundation.com

01566 779333