The Whittington Poor Fund was a charity that used to make awards to people and organisations who were based in Whittington. However, as is often the case, the administration of this fund increased greatly, particularly with regards to the new reporting procedures and requirements of the Charity Commission. This can often become arduous, and so in late 2016 the decision was taken by the trustees of the Poor Fund to transfer it to The Community Foundation for Staffordshire, after consultation with the Charity Commission. At the time of transfer to The Community Foundation it was decided to widen the area of benefit, so that the fund could support people across the whole parish of Whittington and Fisherwick. In light of this, the fund was renamed the Whittington & Fisherwick Fund.
Eligibility
Who We Are Able to Support
We will support people who meet the following criteria;
- Resident in the parish of Whittington and Fisherwick
- Be in either FINANCIAL, SOCIAL or MEDICAL need
- There is no requirement to have lived in the parish for a certain number of years
What We Can Support
The remit of the fund is to improve the quality of life for village residents, either individually or as a whole, and to support people who are in financial hardship, social need or medical need. We will also consider emergency applications, where unforeseen circumstances are causing particular difficulties, (such as the need to replace white goods or emergency heating or plumbing situations).
The fund is administered by The Community Foundation as part of its portfolio of funds which can only benefit areas within the Lichfield district. This means that the Whittington & Fisherwick Fund will only be used to benefit people in the parish.
What you can apply for
We will not be prescriptive about what you should spend any award on, but it should be something that the panel would see as necessary and worthwhile. For example, it could be for;
- Extra heating costs over winter
- Travel expenses due to lack of own transport and insufficient public transport provision
- A piece of equipment that would make your life easier due to health conditions
- This list is not exhaustive
PLEASE NOTE: WE WILL NOT MAKE AWARDS WHERE YOUR NEED HAS NOT BEEN DEMONSTRATED. WE WILL NOT MAKE AWARDS FOR ANY FUNDING TO BE ADDED TO SAVINGS.
Application Process
Grants Available
You can apply for a grant of up to £300 per year.
Applications can be made at any time but are assessed by a local panel of donor advisors twice per year. People may only apply to the fund once per year.
Awards are made to the value of £300 per year. This could be in two separate grants of £150 or one single grant of £300. The maximum that can be received in a single year by any one person is £300. Grants will be paid by BACS, (bank transfer), directly into the recipient’s bank account. The details of who has received the funding are kept for audit and reporting purposes but are treated confidentially and not released to the public.
The Application
The application form will ask whether you would like to apply due to financial reasons, social reasons or medical reasons. You only need to tick one of them, but you can tick more if you feel that they apply. You will need to provide information about your need. It is this information that is used to make a decision, and all decisions must be based solely on this information. Therefore, it is important to detail your need fully; please do not assume that the panel know of your situation and why you need support.
The local panel of donor advisors will make decisions on who should be supported, but they will not be aware of your name or address unless you specifically give us permission to share that information.
Submission Deadlines
All funding for 2025/26 has been distributed – this programme is now closed for the rest of the year
How to Apply
To apply please download an application form and submit the completed form to programmes@staffordshire.foundation
If you need help in completing the application form please call us.