1. Safe in East Sussex
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  3. Domestic Abuse Small Grants Fund

Domestic Abuse Small Grants Fund

In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government committed to transforming the response to domestic abuse.

East Sussex County Council has a legal duty to support victims and their children living in refuges and safe accommodation. Funding was made available to meet these duties.

Using these funds, East Sussex County Council established the Domestic Abuse Small Grants Fund.

Fund's Aim

The goal of the fund is to support new or existing projects and organisations. Specifically, ones that target people who don't already access specialised support or might find it challenging to do so. The focus is on securing or maintaining safe accommodation.

Applications are especially welcomed from grassroots and 'by and for' organisations. These are services designed and led by those who share the same characteristics as the people they serve. Such as ethnic group, country of birth, or religion.

Funded Projects

We are pleased to announce that the first six projects started in January 2025. The funded projects are:

  1. Agal Wellbeing: Providing 2 days a week for an IDVA focused on South Asian communities.
  2. Fellowships of St Nicholas: Offering group activities for non-abusive parents and their children living in temporary housing in Hastings and Eastbourne.
  3. CAPA First Response: Supporting families dealing with child-to-parent abuse, including a podcast to raise awareness, training for professionals, advice and support sessions, one-on-one support, and access to parenting groups and forums.
  4. Hourglass: Contributing to a full-time IDVA post working county-wide with older people.
  5. Warming up the Homeless: Providing a women's worker for two days a week to offer more routes into support.
  6. Brighton Women's Centre: Providing 2 days per week of casework time to increase provision in East Sussex.

Levels of Funding Available

There are four levels of funding available, depending on the size of the group or organisation applying and the type of activity proposed:

  • Route 1: Turnover of less than £5,000,000 per year – applications for up to £20,000
  • Route 2: Turnover of less than £100,000 per year – applications for up to £10,000
  • Route 3: Turnover of less than £20,000 per year – applications for up to £5,000
  • Route 4: Turnover of less than £20,000 per year – one-off applications for £1,000 for infrastructure/non-service delivery activity

How to Apply for Funding

We are currently considering applications for Routes 3 and 4.

Applications for Routes 1 and 2 will likely open again in August 2025 for delivery in January 2026.

If you want to apply for any route, please email us at DASmallGrantsFund@eastsussex.gov.uk for more information.