Allchurches Trust launches Covid-19 grants programme
Melanie May | 17 July 2020 | News
Allchurches Trust has launched a grants programme to help churches and Christian charities meet changing needs within their communities as the longer-term impact of Covid-19 becomes clearer.
In developing the Hope Beyond programme, Allchurches Trust carried out an online consultation to better understand what its beneficiaries felt the key needs of people of all ages in their communities would be as a direct result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
It found that more than two-thirds of church respondents expect loneliness and isolation to be the most pressing need in the next three months, with 58% of churches predicting the same when looking a year ahead. The issue of mental health and wellbeing was the second highest rated concern for around half of churches, while many also reported feeling limited by a lack of digital knowledge and/or technology – both within the church and in the wider community.
The Hope Beyond grants programme will, therefore, look to address these three themes:
- Projects responding to the issues of loneliness and isolation exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic where new and/or enhanced support is being proposed.
- Projects focused on growing community resilience and promoting mental and emotional health and wellbeing
- Projects focused on growing technological capability and resilience and supporting those without online access to get online through training and support.
Hope Beyond will provide grants of up to £50,000, and the amount received will depend upon the project’s cost and the level of need in the community, ranging from 10% of project cost through to 80%.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.