Could This £500 Grant Help Your Group Shine a Light on Child Poverty in Cornwall?

Funding now open for community-led projects

Voluntary and community organisations across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly can now apply for grants of up to £500 to help highlight the real-life experiences of children and families living in poverty.

The funding, launched today (Wednesday 23rd April), aims to support groups in creating projects that explore the impact of child poverty from the ground up. Information collected through these projects will feed directly into the 2025 Director of Public Health Report for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly — with the aim of helping local leaders better understand the problem and shape solutions.

Capturing real experiences

Groups working with babies, children, young people and their families are encouraged to get creative in capturing lived experiences — whether through drawings, photos, videos, poetry, sculptures, audio recordings or even comic book strips.

Dr Eunan O’Neill, Interim Director of Public Health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said:

“We cannot fully understand or address the impact of child poverty unless we involve children, young people and families with direct experience of living with poverty themselves. We want to listen to their experiences to understand what it means to grow up in poverty in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“Responses from these community projects will be featured in the 2025 Director of Public Health Report, which this year will be a joint report with the directors of children’s services at both Cornwall Council and Council of the Isles of Scilly.

“This work will help leaders make decisions about health and wellbeing priorities and the report to be a ‘call to action’ that will represent the voices of babies, children and young people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

Topics to explore

Organisations can choose to focus on any life stage — from babies to young people aged 16 to 24. The Council’s Public Health team is especially interested in hearing about:

Babies:

• Food insecurity and the cost of infant formula

• Parent-infant relationships and mental health

• Infant safety (e.g. safer sleep, unintended injuries)

• Access to services (health, play, education)

• Temporary accommodation and disrupted sleep routines

Pre-school children:

• School readiness and development

• Home learning environments

• Access to quality childcare

• Damp and mould in homes

School-age children:

• The cost of the school day

• School attainment and attendance

• Feelings of belonging and inclusion

• Overcrowded or temporary housing

Young people (16–24):

• Employment opportunities and minimum wage concerns

• Risk of exploitation

• Access to supported accommodation

How to apply

Applications are open now and will close at midday on Friday 16th May. Successful applicants will be notified and receive their grant funding from Wednesday 23rd May.

Organisations will then carry out their engagement work in June, with findings to be submitted to Cornwall Council Public Health by Monday 30th June.

For more information or to apply, visit the Creative Community Engagement Micro Grants page on Let’s Talk Cornwall.