Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)

About the Crisis and Resilience Fund

The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is funded by the UK Government. The fund replaces previous support schemes. It provides financial help to residents facing hardship and supports people to become more financially resilient. This can help reduce the risk of future financial crises.

Lincolnshire County Council has received a three-year funding settlement for the Crisis and Resilience Fund:

2026/27 - £11,746,925
2027/28 - £9,915,923
2028/29 - £11,001,429

For 2026/27 this is broken down between three of the four types of support:

Crisis Payments – £5,332,945
Heating Oil Crisis Payments - £1,825,511
Resilience Services - £4,390,041
Community Coordination - £198,428

In addition, district councils across Lincolnshire have received separate allocations to administer Housing Payments during 2026-28.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund offers four types of support:

Crisis Payments: emergency support for low-income households experiencing a financial shock, that places immediate pressure on household finances
Housing Payments: help to maintain safe and stable housing.
Heating Oil Payments: help households at risk of losing immediate access to heating or hot water.
Resilience Service: support and advice services, programmes and activities to help individuals become more financially stable.
Community Coordination: to help increase awareness of and access to the Crisis and Resilience Fund within communities

Crisis Payments

Crisis payments provide emergency support for low-income households experiencing a financial shock that places immediate pressure on household finances.

Lincolnshire’s district councils are delivering a Crisis Payments schemes. If your district council is:

City of Lincoln
North Kesteven

Please apply using the form on our website

Apply now

If your district council is:

Please visit their website to learn more about the crisis payments and how to apply.

Not sure which district you are in? Visit the government website to find your local council and search using your postcode.

If assistance is needed completing the application, a range of support services are available. You can find further support on the Connect to Support website.

A crisis payment could be awarded where you have experienced financial shock. Which is a sudden, unexpected expense or drop in income, that can place pressure on your budget and wellbeing

Examples may include:

loss or reduction of employment income
unexpected household expenses
increased housing or utility costs
accident, health emergency or mental health crisis, leading to unplanned spending or increased expenses
other unforeseen circumstances that create an immediate financial crisis

Who can apply?

The fund is for low-income for households who are unable to meet essential needs due to financial shock.

To be eligible, applicants will need to:

be a resident of the local authority area
be aged 18 or over
have a household income of less than £36,000
have less than £6,000 in savings
be responsible for their own household expenses
experienced a recent financial shock
provide proof of circumstance and household finances

Local discretion may be applied, due to household’s circumstances or need.

Fund provided support

Support will be awarded will depending on your circumstances and the outcome of the assessment.

Awards will be given to help meet essential needs and provide short-term stability.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund is not intended to provide regular income.

How applications are assessed

When applying, you will be asked about:

household circumstances
income from earnings, pensions and benefits
essential expenditure and financial commitments
the financial shock and crisis that has been experienced
the impact the situation is having on individuals and the household
any steps already taken to resolve the issue

The application process will ask for evidence to be provided on household income, expenditure and debts, including bank statements.

Providing accurate and detailed information will help applications be assessed as quickly as possible.

Recipients of Crisis Payments will be referred to appropriate countywide or local financial resilience services.

Advice and information are available through Money Talk Lincs on the Connect to Support Lincolnshire website.

Housing payments

Housing Payments have replaced Discretionary Housing Payments and are delivered by the district councils in Lincolnshire. Payments can be made to support someone on Universal Credit who is unable to meet their rent payments.

Further details, including how to apply, can be found on your district council’s website:

Not sure which district you are in? Visit the government website to find your local council and search using your postcode.

Heating Oil Payments

Heating oil payments

In March, the UK Government announced targeted support for households that rely on heating oil and are facing financial hardship due to rising prices. The scheme is designed to help households at risk of losing immediate access to heating or hot water.

Funding is being provided to areas with high numbers of off‑grid properties as a top‑up to the existing Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). On behalf of Lincolnshire County Council, the scheme will be administered locally by the Lincolnshire Community Foundation.

What support is available?

Eligible households will receive a £300 prepaid off‑grid energy voucher. If a household cannot receive an electronic voucher, alternative arrangements will be explored on a case‑by‑case basis.

Who can apply?

To qualify, households must:

have a below‑average income (under £36,000 combined household income)
have savings under £6,000 after the cost of oil
not be on a mains gas supply and use heating oil as the primary fuel for heating and/or hot water
be at risk of losing immediate access to heating or hot water due to insufficient heating oil
be able to pay the difference between the £300 voucher and the full cost of the heating oil (including delivery)

How to apply

Applications are open via the Crisis and Resilience Fund: Heating Oil Support Scheme – Lincolnshire Community Foundation and are limited to one application per household. Completed applications will be assessed as soon as possible, with decisions aimed within 2 working days, depending on demand and the complexity of supporting evidence.

Further information

More details are available at: Crisis and Resilience Fund: Heating Oil Support Scheme – Lincolnshire Community Foundation. If you need help completing an application, you can contact the Lincolnshire Community Foundation: Email: crf@lincolnshirecf.co.uk
Phone: 01529 572575

Resilience Service

The Crisis and Resilience Fund will provide new and expanded support services across the county to help people become more financially resilient. If someone receives a Crisis Payment, they will be expected to take part in suitable support services. These services are designed to help people manage their finances and reduce the risk of future financial difficulties.

Support services will also be available to:

people whose application for a Crisis Payment is unsuccessful
anyone who needs extra help with budgeting or managing their money, even if they do not need or qualify for a Crisis Payment.

The aim is to help people build financial resilience and prevent future crises.

Lincolnshire County Council is funding several services across all district areas through the Crisis and Resilience Fund. These currently include:

District councils have also received funding to develop local financial resilience services in their areas. Some services will be delivered directly by councils, while others will be provided through partnerships with voluntary, community, faith, social enterprise and charity organisations.
Examples of local support include:

food banks
community groceries
local charities
community support groups

Information about financial resilience services will be available on the Lincolnshire Financial Inclusion Partnership pages on the Connect to Support Lincolnshire website. Advice, resources and self-help tools to help people manage their money and improve their financial resilience will also be available through the Money Talk Lincs section.

Community Coordination

The Lincolnshire Financial Inclusion Partnership Steering Group oversees the community coordination element of the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

This brings together key partners to identify and remove barriers to support, raise awareness of the fund, and improve access to help within local communities.

Organisations involved in supporting financial resilience are invited to take part in the countywide financial inclusion network. The network provides opportunities to share information, identify local needs, and work together to improve support for residents.

If your organisation would like to find out more about the network or become a member, please contact crisis_and_resilience_fund@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Other community coordination activities are also being developed. These include working with community groups, peer support networks, community champions, local leaders, and groups of people with shared interests.

The aim is to ensure that individuals and households who may benefit from the Crisis and Resilience Fund are aware of the support available and know how to access it.