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More help for national and local charities working on the front line.

Kevin Cooper

Following much pressure from the sector and MPs, the Government announced more financial support for Charities during these unprecedented times.

This includes: £750M funding for frontline charities to enable them to continue working and assisting in their communities, announced by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday.

 
  • £360M direct from central government to charitable organisations such as hospices, St Johns Ambulance, victim support and vulnerable children charities as well as Citizens Advice
  • £370M to a new fund with the National Lottery Community Fund – which will aim to be running in a few weeks.
  • £20M minimum match funding alongside public donations on a BBC event run by BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief on Thursday 23 April.
Local charities will include those working in the community, delivering food, providing advice and local services, at the front line of providing help and support to people in need. Dawn Austwick, CEO of the National Lottery Community Fund, said in a statement on their website , “We are now urgently discussing with government details of how the funding will be made available and will provide further information as soon as we are able to do so.”

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/

 
Civil Society News has collated some of the additional funding and prepared a list on its website at  https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/voices/what-funding-is-available-to-charities-during-covid-19-pandemic.html
Barclays Bank have announced a £100M fund for Charities worldwide, half being direct funding, and the other half to match staff donations on a £ for £ basis.

The National Emergency Trust is running a UK national appeal assisted in its administration by the British Red Cross. Its grants will be awarded locally through the network of UK community foundations.

On a more local level, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation have a programme of grants available on its website where they have teamed up with other organisations, including the NHS, to offer programmes such as their “We’re All Together” Fund, and “NHS Covid-19” fund offering grants of £1,000 to £10,000. See their website for more details. https://www.hiwcf.com/grants/

The Community Foundation for Surrey have raised £500k within an emergency fund to support local charities and organisations in the County with grants of up to £5,000 – see https://www.cfsurrey.org.uk/surreycoronavirusresponsefund/

The Wiltshire Community foundation is offering a number of grants focussed on immediate relief activities, and their priorities and eligible applicants can apply with a form from their website – see https://www.wiltshirecf.org.uk/Corona%20Response%20Grants

WightAID, the Isle of Wight based grants charity are focussing their grants to local charities in specific need, including the Isle of Wight Foodbank, homelessness, mental health issues and bereavement charities amongst others. Geoff Underwood, WightAID Chairman and High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight, is quoted on their website: "As we enter a period of considerable difficulty, it is even more important than ever for us to stay together and support those most in need”.

 
Much will depend on the individual charity’s ability to write bids and applications which meet the varying criteria, a task which is often challenging and time consuming for the small charity sector. However, the above will go some way to tackling the funding need for front line charities working in the community.

The whole charitable sector is however very wide, and will not of course help those charities who provide services within the arts, culture, or animal sectors, and who will continue to need support.
Charities can also rely on the other help and support for businesses, where applicable with:
 
  • Reclaiming sick pay
  • Job retention scheme
  •  Retail hospitality and leisure grant
  •  Deferral of VAT
  • Time to pay arrangements for PAYE
  • Business interruption loan scheme
For more details of these and other information, please see the Moore (South) LLP Coronavirus hub