Combined Relief of Poverty Charity Hardship Grants

The Combined Relief of Poverty Charity is the principal relief of need and/or poverty charity for which the City Corporation is trustee. The Combined Relief of Poverty Charity provides Hardship Grants of up to £3,000 for individuals residing in London who are previous or current elected City of London Members, their dependents or connected persons; or to applicants residing outside London, who are the widows, widowers or children of previous and current City of London elected Members.

Who is eligible for a hardship grant?

The Combined Relief of Poverty Charity provides Hardship Grants for individuals residing in London who are previous or current elected City of London Members, their dependents or connected persons; or to applicants residing outside London, who are the widows, widowers or children of previous and current City of London elected Members. Where “connected person” means: (i) a child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother or sister of a Member; (ii) the spouse or civil partner of a Member or of any person falling within sub-clause (i).

Applicants must be over 18 years old. Applicants must be in receipt of, or in the process of claiming, at least one means-tested benefit OR be in education/training.

Applicants under pension credit age must have less than £6,000 in savings. Applicants over pension credit age must have less than £10,000 in savings.

What can hardship grants be used for?

Hardship grants can be awarded towards the costs of: essential white goods; essential furniture; essential clothing and food; household bills; household repairs that relate to safety, security and /or independent living in applicant's home; the costs of training or work tools if applicant can demonstrate that it will help to secure employment; mobility aids and equipment that supports independent living; travelling expenses for attending medical appointments; costs of medical care or medical equipment; tuition fees in primary, secondary, higher and further education (excluding post-graduate study).

How much funding can I apply for?

Hardship grants can be awarded for a minimum of £500 to a maximum of £3,000.

How many times can I receive a grant?

Only one grant can be awarded per household per 12 month period to a maximum of three grants in total where household is defined as a current or previously elected City of London Member or one of their dependents or one of their connected persons.

What type of expenditure is ineligible for funding?

Grants will not be awarded for Items already bought or bills that have been paid even if money was borrowed to do this, or for repairs or improvements to rented properties or for loss of earning because of strike.

Can I apply for funding if I have savings?

Applicants for hardship grants can have some limited savings. Applicants under pension credit age must have less than £6,000 in savings. Applicants over pension credit age must have less than £10,000 in savings. All applicants must be in receipt of, or in the process of claiming, at least one means-tested benefit OR be in education/training.

How do I apply for a grant?

To apply for a grant, you will need to complete an application form and email this with your supporting documents to the City Corporation's Central Funding and Charity Management Team.
We will only consider one application per household at any one time.

How are applications assessed?

Once we have received your application and all supporting documents, it will be passed to one of the City Corporation’s officers for assessment. As part of this process, an officer may contact you for more information.

We will acknowledge receipt of your application within ten working days of it being received. If your application is not complete, it will be returned to you and you will have a further ten working days to send us the missing information.

A Funding Officer may also arrange to call you as part of the assessment process. Once a full assessment has been completed, your request will be referred to an appropriate Committee.

I need support with my application 

If you have an enquiry that is not covered within the online guidance and would like to discuss your application email the Central Funding and Charity Management Team.