Why it matters: The funding provides a lifeline to charities delivering essential services during the cost-of-living crisis, with grants supporting organisations that help people experiencing homelessness, refugees and residents seeking advice.
The details: The council's Executive committee is set to approve the grants at a meeting on Tuesday, 10 February, following recommendations from the cross-party Community and Sport Working Group.
The council's Community Grants Policy requires organisations to demonstrate how their applications support one or more of three priorities: supporting residents during the cost-of-living crisis, supporting vulnerable residents, and supporting health improvement.
The three organisations recommended to receive funding are:
Ipswich Housing Action Group (ihAg) is recommended for £17,500 to support core costs for services helping people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
Ipswich and District Citizens Advice is recommended for £48,000 to contribute to core costs for delivering advice and support services.
Suffolk Refugee Support is recommended for £6,500 to contribute to core costs for running its established range of services in response to changing needs in Ipswich.
For context: If approved, all grants will be provided on a one-year basis from April 2026 to March 2027. This approach allows the council to transition all grant recipients onto the same expiry date of March 2027, when the full grant budget will be available for allocation.
The council has a total Community Grant budget of £173,200 for 2026-27. However, £101,200 is already committed to existing agreements with other organisations, leaving £72,000 available for this round of funding.
A further six organisations currently hold grants that expire in March 2027, including ISCRE, ActivLives, Suffolk Young People's Health Project, Suffolk Law Centre, Home Start in Suffolk and Rock Paper Scissors.
What's next: If the grants are approved, successful applicants will be notified in March 2026 and must sign a grant agreement before funding is released. Money will be issued on a quarterly basis subject to monitoring information being provided to the council.
The council will invite organisations with grants ending in March 2027 to reapply for funding from April 2027 onwards, with a total budget of £149,500 expected to be available.
The bottom line: The recommended grants would ensure vital support services continue for Ipswich residents facing homelessness, seeking advice or needing assistance, with funding focused on the council's key priorities of supporting vulnerable people and those affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
