London Catalyst - Samaritan Grants

Background

London Catalyst is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, and the successor to the Metropolitan Hospital-Sunday Fund, established in 1873.

Objectives of Fund

The Samaritan Grant provides funds to assist people in immediate need. A grant is made available to front line agencies, social work professionals, charitable and community groups, that are working directly with people in need and that have the expertise to assess need, offer welfare rights advice and distribute hardship grants on the charity’s behalf.

The charity's objectives are to:

• Improve the health and wellbeing of people most in need.
• Help remove people from poverty.
• Raise awareness of the work of the organisations that it supports.
• Make a difference by acting as a 'catalyst' for change.

Value Notes

Grants range from £100 to £2,000.

It is expected that the fund will mostly be used to provide small payments to help people out in an emergency (the average is £16).

Grants can be repeated annually subject to available resources, evidence of need and satisfactory reporting.

Who Can Apply

Social work teams, hospital teams, voluntary and community organisations and faith groups working directly with and able to distribute one-off grants to people in need are eligible to apply.

Organisations must be operating in Greater London (within the M25 orbital motorway).

Priority is given to small and medium-sized organisations with an annual income of around £500,000.

Location

Greater London

Restrictions

The fund must not be used for:

• Items/services it is the duty of the state to provide and when private funds are available.
• Debts (rent arrears, bills, hire purchase).
• Funeral expenses.
• Alcohol, cigarettes and similar addictive substances.

Eligible Expenditure

The Samaritan grant money is to assist people in severe need. It can be used to alleviate a crisis, improve circumstances and create opportunities. Typically, hardship payments fit into the following areas:

• Food, toiletries, bedding, clothing and footwear.
• Fares to hospital or appointments related to treatment and welfare (UK only).
• Household appliances, equipment and repairs, utility key top-up.
• Medical aids and services not available from statutory sources.
• Vocational training, equipment and documentation.
• Emergency respite and child care (one-off payments, time limited to two weeks).

70% of all grants are usually awarded for food and travel.

How To Apply

Applications are usually considered quarterly. The remaining dates of the 2023 meetings are:

• 14 November 2023.

Grant applications must be received, at the very least, four weeks before this date. It is always advisable to submit applications early and not leave it until the deadline date. An online application form can be found on the London Catalyst website. Contact London Catalyst for further information.