Emergency Funding

During challenging times, knowing where to turn for support can be difficult. Lincolnshire Community Foundation is here to help. With strong community roots and trusted local partnerships, we are well placed to provide support to those who need it most.

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A legacy of responsive funding

Since 2022, the Trustees and Staff at LCF have remained committed to supporting communities through times of important need.

To date, more than £2.1 million in emergency funding has been distributed, helping communities from Grimsby to Sutton Bridge and Anderby to Spalding recover, rebuild and move forward. This vital support shows that LCF is more than a name, it is a lifeline.

Household Support Fund

2022 – 2025

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Number of Households

£ 0 m

Amount distributed

The rising cost of living has continued to affect households across Lincolnshire, placing increased pressure on individuals and families already facing financial hardship.

Local authorities provided funding through the Government’s Household Support Fund to help respond to these challenges and reach those most in need.

Many residents found it difficult to afford essentials such as food, energy and housing, particularly those who did not qualify for means-tested benefits but were still living on limited incomes.

Over five rounds of funding delivered across four years, we worked in partnership with five District Councils, East Lindsey, South Holland, Boston Borough, South Kesteven and West Lindsey, to distribute £1.8 million to 10,712 households across the county.

Each round was  built on previous delivery, allowing us to refine our approach and ensure support reached those most at risk. This included people who fell outside of mainstream welfare provision, such as pensioners, single parent families, carers, disabled people and those living alone.

Support was provided through supermarket vouchers, helping households to manage rising food and essential living costs during particularly challenging periods.

Ukraine Support: Big Lincolnshire Welcome Fund (individuals)

2022 – 2025

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Number of Households

£ 0 k

Amount distributed

In February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine created an immediate and devastating humanitarian crisis, forcing individuals and families to flee their homes in search of safety. As the situation unfolded, communities across Lincolnshire responded with compassion and generosity.

Lincolnshire Community Foundation launched the Big Lincolnshire Welcome Appeal, initially raising over £13,500 to provide small grants to families and individuals arriving in the county. This early support helped people access essential items and begin to settle into their new environment. Recognising the positive impact of this work, Lincolnshire County Council later invited us to distribute additional funding through the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Through this ongoing support, we have so far been able to assist 544 families and individuals. As needs have evolved, so too has the focus of the fund. Early requests centred on communication devices to support job searching and maintaining contact with loved ones, as well as items such as bicycles. More recent support has focused on essential household goods and furniture, helping individuals and families move into independent living and build longer term stability.

Ukraine Support: Ukraine Refugee Integration Fund (URIF -Groups)

2023 - 2025

0

Number of Groups

£ 0 k

Amount distributed

In February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine created an immediate and devastating humanitarian crisis, forcing individuals and families to flee their homes in search of safety. As the situation unfolded, communities across Lincolnshire responded with compassion and generosity.

Building on this response, Lincolnshire Community Foundation worked closely with Lincolnshire County Council’s Homes for Ukraine team to recognise and strengthen the vital role played by the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector. These organisations provided essential support to Ukrainian refugees, helping to reduce isolation, improve wellbeing, encourage community cohesion and offer access to employment and learning opportunities.

Through the Ukraine Refugee Integration Fund, we have so far delivered two rounds of funding, distributing £214,489 to 30 groups across Lincolnshire. This funding enabled local organisations to expand and adapt their services, ensuring that Ukrainian individuals and families were supported not only on arrival, but as they began to build longer term, settled lives within their communities.

We continue to work in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council and local organisations, responding to changing needs and supporting efforts that help Ukrainian guests feel welcomed, connected and supported across the county.

Horncastle Flood Recovery Fund

October 2023

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Number of Households

£ 0 k

Amount distributed

In October 2023, the community of Horncastle experienced severe flooding following intense rainfall during Storm Babet, which left many homes under water. In response to requests from local authorities and partner organisations, Lincolnshire Community Foundation launched the Horncastle Flood Recovery Fund to coordinate relief efforts and provide essential support to residents affected by the crisis.

We mobilised quickly to raise and distribute funds, ensuring timely assistance reached those most in need. Through the fund, over £29,000 was awarded to support 140 households in Horncastle. Grants helped residents with essential repairs, the replacement of damaged personal items and the cost of basic day to day needs, supporting the community as it began to recover.

Covid-19 Emergency Response

2020-2021

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Number of Groups

£ 0 k

Amount distributed

In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, LCF provided immediate relief through the National Emergency Trust (NET) Fund, distributing nearly £400,000 to frontline charities and community organisations.

This support reached over 12,000 individuals across Lincolnshire, supplying essential services to vulnerable and isolated residents during lockdowns.

Wainfleet Flood Recovery

2019

0

Number of Groups

£ 0

Amount distributed

When devastating floods struck Wainfleet in 2019, LCF was there to coordinate emergency grants for affected households.

Within weeks, families were receiving critical funding to cover immediate needs, and LCF remains a pillar of support as the community continues to recover.

Need Emergency Support?

Air aim is to help residents rebuild their lives and showing how communities can stand resilient in the face of disaster.

To find out more about Lincolnshire Community Foundation’s support and bespoke emergency funding solutions, please get in touch. Whether using the contact form, email or telephone, our team is here to listen, offer guidance and help you explore the support available.

Contact Us

Office: 01529 305825

Email

Andrew Deeley

Trustee

Andrew has built his career across a wide range of business sectors, working his way up to board level and gaining experience in all the key areas of running and growing organisations. Alongside this commercial background, he has a long-standing commitment to the charity and community sector, where he has helped secure funding for projects ranging from youth initiatives to major heritage and regeneration schemes. He is particularly focused on encouraging philanthropy in Lincolnshire, connecting local donors and advisors with community needs, and ensuring that resources are directed where they can make the biggest difference across the county.

Craig Cooksley

Trustee

Craig brings over 30 years of expertise in innovation, media, and marketing to Lincolnshire Community Foundation, with a passion for transforming lives through innovation. With a background in electronics, he applied his technology and transformation expertise at Reach PLC, parent of the Mirror Newspaper, as Head of Innovation, driving digital advancements.

After three years in Asia supporting tech startups, he returned to the UK to launch 4th Revolution, a marketing and innovation consultancy. His philanthropy includes leading a £10 million West Midlands RGF project, helping fund early-stage businesses and startups, and co-founding LoveBrum, a Birmingham-based charity distributing grants to community projects to enhance Birmingham. Based in Skegness, Craig is dedicated to improving lives in Lincolnshire through better access to training and funding.

Danielle Lowther

Trustee

Danielle’s main reason for wanting to be part of the Foundation was the amazing work it’s undertakes to make life better for local people and organisations. Danielle currently work’s for Lincolnshire Co-op as a Senior Community Co-ordinator and is very passionate about community development especially in Lincolnshire where she has spent most of her life. Danielle has extensive experience of project/event management and networking in communities which she hopes she will be able to use her skills to contribute to the Foundation as Trustee.

John Maitland

Trustee

John was born in Lincolnshire and after a short stint in the Army, he spent his career in Financial Services both in London and abroad. After over 30 years in Banking, John ended his Executive career as CEO of Kleinwort Hambros Bank and has now returned full time to Lincolnshire. John joined the Foundation at the end of 2020 and is looking forward to helping the them move forward in the future.

Stephen Ryder

Trustee

Former Chair, Stephen, with a background in education and journalism, assumed the role of Managing Director of CPO in April 2006. His daily tasks involve overseeing the organisation and driving business development. Stephen’s commitment to using education to alleviate disadvantage and poverty in local communities is evident in all endeavors undertaken by him and his team at CPO. In addition to his primary role, Stephen serves as the Community Engagement Manager for Rethink Mental Illness and chairs the Mental Health Alliance.

He leads the Preventative & Early Help Strategic Board for Children’s Services, participates in the Youth Partnership Board, serves as Vice Chair of the Youth Engagement Alliance and the Youth Justice Steering Group. Furthermore, he holds the position of Vice Chair for the NEL VCSE Alliance and the NEL VCSE Forum, along with being a Governor at John Whitgift Academy.

Paula Baumber

Trustee

Before signing up as a trustee, Paula was the governors who steered our original “community bank”, the cornerstone of our early endowment building. Paula worked in banking for nearly 30 years, specialising in governance and risk management. With the Foundation she leads on the development of our Domestic Abuse response: developing, commissioning and co funding service provision.

Lizzie Milligan-Manby

Vice Chair

For many years Lizzie was attached to the Princes Trust – 10 of which as Lincolnshire chair. She now does a similar (voluntary) job for the Foundation, overseeing our Make-a-Start programme (small grants for personal development). She has expended huge amounts of energy on fund raising – not least “One Day More”: 3 days of outdoor opera at Doddington Hall.

Paul Scott

Chair

Paul, with a background in business management, previously served as a director at the Grimsby Enterprise Agency and the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies. He actively manages his own business and is deeply engaged in community development along the east coast of Lincolnshire. Paul has long been a trustee of the Community Foundation and resumed his role as chairman, currently participating in the finance sub-group committee. His areas of focus include health and social inequalities, enterprise development, and cultural heritage.

Cara Elliott

Finance & Grantmaker

Office: 01529 305825

Email

Cara supports the organisation’s financial operations to help ensure that funding reaches the people and projects that need it most. She holds an AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting Level 3 qualification in Bookkeeping (achieved in 2021), and brings a strong focus on accuracy, organisation, and accountability to the organisation. Before moving into finance, Cara gained valuable experience working directly with members of the public and supporting young adults with learning difficulties.

These roles developed her communication skills, patience, and a deep appreciation for the positive impact that inclusive, community-focused work can have. She is passionate about combining her financial skills with purpose-driven work that makes a real difference. Cara currently works on the delivery of the Household Support Fund, The Big Lincolnshire Welcome Fund and manages the Thonock Aspiration Fund for Schools (TAFS).

Aaron Bailey

Data Researcher & Grantmaker

Office: 01529 305825

Email

Cavan Collins

Grantmaker

Office: 01529 305825

Email

Following his time at Cardiff University learning about people and places across the world as part of his Human Geography degree, Cavan came back to Lincolnshire and joined the Foundation on a part-time basis in July 2022 to support community organisations and individuals within Greater Lincolnshire. Helping colleagues in an administrative capacity to distribute grant funding at first, he has since grown to become a full-time member of Lincolnshire Community Foundation’s Grants Team and is a familiar face to applicants throughout the application process across a number of schemes he has worked on including the UKSPF GRASSroots Grant Scheme, Household Support Fund and both the Birchwood and CCC Big Local. He also leads on various programmes including the Michael Cornish Core Grants Programme and the ELIF GRASSroots Grant Scheme.

Hayley Crawford

Grantmaker

Office: 01529 305825

Mobile: 07939 563296

Email

Hayley joined the Foundation in April 2022, initially serving in an administrative capacity and as a Finance Officer, before transitioning to her current role as a Grantmaker. She has worked on a number of funds within the Foundation including Rural England Prosperity Fund, North Kesteven Lottery Grant Scheme and Evan Cornish Grassroots Fund, empowering community groups across Greater Lincolnshire to access vital funding for transformative local initiatives. With a background in the legal and private healthcare sectors, Hayley brings a unique perspective and a commitment to fostering vibrant, inclusive communities.

Having returned to the U.K. from South Africa in 2021, she is passionate about reconnecting with her roots and advancing the Foundations mission to help Lincolnshire thrive.

Katie Littlewood

Grantmaker

Office: 01529 305825

Mobile: 07375 676593

Email

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2020, for 20yrs. Katie worked in Early Years Education supporting children and families locally. Katie has in the past played an active role in the community giving her time to run a local Brownie pack and sit on other committees such as The village Feast & the local village hall. Katie now has a young family and spends her much of her free time in the great outdoors and occasionally helping at her children’s Beaver & Scout groups. At the Foundation, Katie manages 7 Funds including the Horncastle Health & Wellbeing, and the 6 renewable Funds LCF manage stretching across Greater Lincolnshire.

Helen Cater

Grantmaker

Office: 01529 305825

Mobile: 07591 916305

Email

Helen has been with the Lincolnshire Community Foundation since January 2018. Before joining the foundation, Helen’s background has been in project and grant scheme management and uses this experience to help administer the Community Foundation’s grant programmes which enables the Foundation to make a bigger impact in the community.

Claire Edwards

Marketing, Comms & Grantmaker

Office: 01529 305825

Mobile: 07534 693652

Email

Claire joined the Foundation in 2021. Growing up in North East Lincolnshire, she travelled across the country as an RAF spouse, before coming back home to Lincolnshire.

Her deep connection to the people and locations in the county drives her passion. With a background in various sectors including voluntary, legal, and business, she takes pleasure in supporting all community members.

Claire actively volunteers, serving as a community responder and as Chair of a local primary school PTA.

Claire currently works on the SWEF and Household Support Fund.

Helen Kearseley - Cree

Enterprise Lead

Office: 01529 305825

Mobile: 07795 093682

Email

Helen started working in the VCSE sector in 1994 on an employment and skills project for (ex)offenders, which linked to her Masters in Criminology background. She then moved into community development work, still on the community safety theme, developing that project into wider social regeneration. She has been the CEO of three different charities, two of which are defined as VCSE Local Infrastructure and the third was a Rural Community Council.

After taking a short break from the sector, she became a qualified secondary school teacher and is currently using these skills in the employer supported volunteering work she currently undertakes in schools on careers. The GLAP (Gainsborough Local Access Programme) she manages is a national pilot, funded by Access and Big Society Capital to ‘test’ how place based enterprise development alongside local access to social investment can positively impact a defined area.

Sue Fortune

CEO

Office: 01529 305825

Mobile: 07908 208838

Email

Sue has been with the Foundation since its inception in 2002, following a successful legal career in Durham, London and within a Local Authority. Before being appointed CEO in 2019, she spent 16 years at LCF as a Grantmaker delivering millions of pounds in grant aid to community organisations and individuals across Lincolnshire, always championing the smaller, locally led groups and organisations. Throughout this time, she managed a huge range of schemes, from micro grants to million pound place based (community led) programmes. 

er work helped build long-lasting relationships and embed the Foundation’s reputation as a trusted, approachable funder and partner. Before moving to Lincolnshire, she raised funds to support a local dog rescue charity and went on to adopt three herself. After settling in a small Lincolnshire village, she continued her fundraising efforts bringing local groups together as part of an annual fundraiser, fuelling her ambition to support communities and help others in the longer term. More recently, has discovered a penchant for travel and will regale and entertain others with her stories and adventures.

Helen Kearseley - Cree

Enterprise Lead

Office: 01529 305825

Mobile: 07795 093682

Email

Helen started working in the VCSE sector in 1994 on an employment and skills project for (ex)offenders, which linked to her Masters in Criminology background. She then moved into community development work, still on the community safety theme, developing that project into wider social regeneration. She has been the CEO of three different charities, two of which are defined as VCSE Local Infrastructure and the third was a Rural Community Council. After taking a short break from the sector, she became a qualified secondary school teacher and is currently using these skills in the employer supported volunteering work she currently undertakes in schools on careers. The GLAP (Gainsborough Local Access Programme) she manages is a national pilot, funded by Access and Big Society Capital to ‘test’ how place based enterprise development alongside local access to social investment can positively impact a defined area.