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Crisis support

COVID-19

We supported thousands of charities and community groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, distributing National Lottery and government funding to communities across the UK.

This collection brings together what we learned during this unprecedented period, including:

  • insights from grant holders

  • reflections from sector leaders

  • stories from communities

  • valuations of the impact of our funding

Food aid

Food banks should not be necessary, yet more than 2,000 across the UK distribute food.

Many community organisations use food aid not only to meet immediate needs, but also to:

  • build relationships

  • connect people with wider support,

  • strengthen communities

Here we share lessons from food banks we've supported over the years, showing that food aid works best when people:

  • are listened to

  • given choice where possible

  • treated as active members of their community

Warm spaces

Warm spaces are free, welcoming places where people are invited to spend their days and keep warm at no extra cost.

They went from being an almost unknown concept in 2022 to having thousands open just a year later.

Here we share what we learned from supporting the first 100 warm spaces through National Lottery funding.

We explore:

  • how they operated

  • what they offered

  • what worked when setting up and running them.