GambleAware Delivers £1.24m via the Community Resilience Fund

Gambling harm charity GambleAware announced the recipients of the Community Resilience Fund, the fund it launched last year to address health inequalities among the most disadvantaged communities.

Address Disproportionate Risks

Acting on research indicating that people in more deprived areas are three times more likely to suffer from gambling harm, the Community Resilience Fund seeks to provide funding targeted at minoritized and marginalized groups to improve their access to help and guidance.

The fund is set to distribute £1.24 million ($1.51 million) across 22 organizations in the UK to support individuals and communities suffering from gambling harm. All recipients were chosen after a rigorous selection process involving a panel of independent experts and lived experience members.

Delighted to reveal the recipients of the Community Resilience Fund, Anna Hargrave, chief commissioning officer of GambleAware, outlined the benefits brought up by the distribution of funds.

“The fund will allow GambleAware to support a range of fantastic community-based organizations, as they continue the vital work they do in addressing specific needs within their communities and the inequalities they experience,” Hargrave stated, pointing to the cost-of-living crisis’ potential to increase the number of people suffering from gambling harm.

“The fund also presents a valuable opportunity to engage with communities across the country and tackle the stigma associated with speaking openly about the effect these harms can have,” she concluded.

Encourage an Innovative Approach

Candidates submitted their applications for a grant of up to £100,000 ($121,800) in funding for projects tackling gambling harm within their communities, including sport for change, podcast production, projects to reduce stigma and to collect gambling harm data within a food bank.

“The fund will allow us to support the black and minority ethnic community to break the stigma around gambling-related harms,” said Mohammed Sidat, chief executive officer of IMO Charity, one of the successful applicants, which will support people from South Asian communities by providing advisors through pop up services, mental health support, and delivering multilingual campaigns.

“Through a three-step approach of outreach, trust-building, and individual support, we will empower our young people with the tools and confidence they need to make positive life choices,” said Evans Omondi, youth program manager at another successful applicant, Coram’s Field, which will offer targeted support to young people aged 13 to 19.

In April 2024, the Community Resilience Fund will publish its final evaluation report as the fund will be evaluated throughout the funding period. To help the fund with the evaluation, IPSOS and NPC were recently appointed as the fund’s evaluation and learning partners.