Less than 15 per cent of the money raised for Grenfell Tower fire victims has been handed out to survivors two months after the deadly blaze, according to figures released by the Charity Commission.

The regulator said that of the £18.9m donated to survivors in the wake of the tragedy on 14 June, £2.8m – or 14.8 per cent of the total raised – has been spent so far.

The report from the Commission shows a complex web of charities and distributors managing the donated funds, with various grants available to specific members of the community, often with strict eligibility criteria. Many charities, including the British Red Cross (BRC), are not handling the distribution of donations directly, which are instead being funnelled through third parties before they are drip fed to survivors.

On the release of the figures, David Holdsworth, the regulator’s chief operating officer, said that the Commission had been working to help charities coordinate their response so that the community knew where to access funds.

He said: “It is unusual for us to be involved in this way as regulator, but because of the urgent need of the victims of this tragedy, and because of the great generosity of the public who have given millions to different charities, it was right that we stepped in and helped charities work together in the best interests of those affected.”

Of the £5.7m raised by the Red Cross, £2.4m has been passed on so far to those on the ground. The Kensington and Chelsea Foundation (KCF) has raised the same amount and £2.1m has been sent to distributing organisations.

The figures expose the laborious administrative process involved in allocating funds to the right people and at the right time.

The biggest fundraiser – The Evening Standard’s dispossessed fund – raised £6.7m for survivors who lived in Grenfell Tower. But its distribution is being managed by a separate entity – the London Community Foundation (LCF) – which said it had so far earmarked £2.7m of the funds for use.

Russell Delew, chief executive of the LCF, stressed the foundation was working with survivors to understand the best way of distributing the remaining funds and how that money should be spent.

So far, the LCF has paid out £1.5m to 158 households. But a further £1.2m has been passed to a separate distributor – the London Emergencies Trust (LET).

Certain payments from the LET, which also deals with money donated via the Red Cross and Kensington and Chelsea Foundation, have strict criteria and can only be distributed to the next of kin of those who died or presumed dead, and those who were hospitalised after the fire for a period of six hours or more.

LET, which has received £4.8m to distribute, told The Independent it had received 116 applications and had so far made payments to 59 people, totaling £664,500.

A spokesperson for LET said the process was both delicate and complex, and said many survivors were not yet in a stable enough position to receive the funds or even apply for the money.

“People who have faced this kind of serious trauma aren’t always ready to think about getting financial help right away,” a spokesperson said. “They may be awaiting news of a loved one. They may be in hospital with serious injuries - their family around them hoping they recover. They may not yet have made contact with anyone on the scene who can help or direct them to help.”

They added that other payments amounting to £100,000 would be paid “very soon” and that checking procedures such as verifying next of kin and hospital discharges must be undertaken before money is handed out.

The LCF, LET and Red Cross, along with the Rugby Portobello Trust (RPT) – which has acted as both fundraiser and distributor – emphasised that “every penny” of the funds will eventually be paid out.

RPT director Mark Simms said the process was quite simple – all donations paid into the trust would also be paid out. He added the trust had paid out fewer “fresh start” grants than they would have anticipated by this stage. The grants are designed to give families a step up when they move into new accommodation but so far, just 14 families left homeless in the blaze have been rehoused.

Initially these £10,000 fresh start grants were only made available once new temporary or permanent accommodation had been secured. However, the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation told The Independent it would making these payments to households who had not already received them next week, due to the process of rehousing taking much longer than expected.

A spokesperson for the KCF said: “The developing needs of ex-Grenfell Tower residents, the next of kin of those who lost their loved ones and the community will remain at the heart of next steps for the K&C Foundation. It is essential that we listen to and work with the affected groups and that is our absolute priority. As a result of this next stage, we expect to be able to announce further distributions and how the remaining funds will be spent in the next few weeks.”

Advice released by the Charity Commission alongside the spending figures, outlines the aid available to survivors, residents and their next of kin, including emergency grants given immediately after the fire, and funding for funeral expenses. Applicants are given various addresses where they can make a claim, as well as numerous emails and email addresses.

While the figures and advice reveal the complex process of getting donations from charities to those in need, members of the local community said there was growing concern over how the donations were being managed.

Verity Close resident Stewart Hall, who lives just yards from the tower, said the community wanted to know where the rest of the money is going.

“We’ve got no problem with money going to the LET, but we want to know where the rest of the money has gone,” he said.

“I’ve got friends struggling to feed their families in hotels, who have no kitchens who are having to buy takeaways every day. And it’s a wider issue as you’ve got people on the estate who aren't able to go back to work because they are too traumatised by what they saw.”

Moyra Samuels, campaign coordinator for Justice4Grenfell, said there was a feeling on the ground the fundraising process had been “hijacked” by “bureaucratic bodies”.

“There are a lot of assumptions being made, based on feelings of deep mistrust, that the funds are going to be used by authorities to fund operations rather than going to the survivors,” she said.

“Transparency is what people are worried about in a situation where the community is already feeling incredibly angry let down and frustrated and also there is a feeling that yet again the assumption is made that this community needs to be managed, because ‘we know better’.”

Melvyn Akins, a local resident who grew up on the Lancaster West estate and now lives just yards from the tower, said there was widespread confusion about what money is available, further fuelling mistrust of those managing the funds.

“People are getting confused and upset at the slow rate the money is coming through at,” he said. “On the ground it appears that organisations are getting money before the survivors."

The Charity Commission said it had had difficulty in contacting everyone and that it was aware there had been confusion about accessing funds, but that this was largely down to "the unique circumstances" of the tragedy, including identities of those who had died.

In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 1 /51 In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementís Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

The figures were released after residents raised their concerns with council leader Elizabeth Campbell at a tense public meeting on Wednesday night.

Community members told the Government’s gold command that residents looking for work in the wake of the tragedy were being handed travel cards with no money on them and being turned away when they said they did not have a key worker.