British Gas Energy Trust announces latest grants

19 April 2021

Sustainability

Jessica Taplin, British Gas Energy Trust CEO

Supporting Communities at Risk programme - British Gas Energy Trust announces £2,719,000 of grant awards to support 33 third sector, money and energy advice projects deliver vital holistic frontline advice services in England, Scotland and Wales.

All of the projects to be funded by the grants take an integrated approach to supporting clients, with many working in partnership - ensuring vulnerable clients are referred and can then receive the most comprehensive support from one source. Advice includes, but is not limited to, energy efficiency advice & improvements, debt & money advice, specialist benefits advice.

The 14 grants will support 33 advice services across England, Scotland and Wales – each grant ranges between £359,000 and £84,000, and services will deliver between 1^st April 2021 and 31^st March 2022 - enabling them to deliver their vital integrated money and energy services to the heart of communities, helping support families in fuel poverty as the country emerges from the pandemic.

The grants are solely targeted at supporting not-for-profit advice services, helping to ensuring as much funding as possible is directed to service delivery – this is a key aspect of the Trust’s funding supporting not only clients but helping with core costs & capacity building.

The specialist advisors funded through the grants will also support vulnerable clients with combined money and energy advice, as well as providing access emergency utility vouchers, small efficiency measures and helping clients access energy grant schemes such as the BGET Individuals & Families Grant Programme which aims to distribute up to £1,000,000 of household energy debt relief grants in 2021 2022.

"The British Gas Energy Trust has a long heritage of supporting those who need help to get out of energy debt, as well as providing support to help them remain debt free going forward through funding a range of energy and money advice organisations. The impact of the pandemic continues to be felt in households across the UK and the Trust hopes that the funding will help ensure that the important work of advice services reaches those who need it most."

Jessica Taplin, British Gas Energy Trust, CEO

Grants

Bromley by Bow Centre “East End Energy Fit” £147,243
Citizens Advice Manchester “Energy Wise 4 Better Lives” £234,309
Citizens Advice Northumberland “Project Energy” £144,099
Preston & District Citizens Advice Bureau “BGTF Fuel Poverty Project” £98,400
Citizens Advice St Helens “Community Energy Champions” £90,180
Community Law Service (Northampton and County) “Financial Health and Wellbeing Service” £184,282
Income Max “National IncomeMax Service” £285,648
Money Matters “Energy Matters” £359,450
Navigate CIO - charity “Wis£rmoney” £275,323
Riverside Advice “Holistic Welfare Rights Advice Service for Vulnerable People” £84,338
St Anns Advice Group “Fuel debt and efficiency” £106,332
THAW Orkney “Wellbeing and Warmth Orkney” £85,807
The Zinthiya Trust “Leicester Money & Energy Project” £113,922

NOTES

British Gas Energy Trust

The British Gas Energy Trust (BGET) was established in 2004 by British Gas as an independent Charitable Trust and remains the largest of its nature in the UK and is focused on contributing to the relief of poverty, with a particular focus on helping alleviate fuel poverty. It delivers through direct access grant programmes for individuals and families, as well as through the funding of 50 third-sector organisations from across the UK, who deliver a variety of in-depth money advice programmes & projects within communities.

The Supporting Communities at Risk Programme (SCARP) funds over 50 advice providers across England, Scotland and Wales to provide holistic energy and financial advice to people who are struggling with their fuel bills, heating or finances.