# Disabled People’s Organisations emergency Covid fund opens for applications

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/09/18/disabled-peoples-organisations-emergency-covid-fund-opens-for-applications/
- Published: 2020-09-18T09:00:51+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) COVID-19 Emergency Fund is open for
applications until 5 October.**

 

£1.5m of [National Emergencies Trust](https://nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk/) 
funding is available to support grassroots DPOs across the UK, who have found it
difficult to access funding, to help them meet the needs of local disabled people.
It will be administered and distributed through a partnership of DPOs across the
UK.

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The [DPO COVID-19 Emergency Fund](https://www.disabilityaction.org/dpo-covid-19-emergency-fund)
is looking to fund Covid-19 related work in the following broad three areas:

 

 * **Independent living:** covering any Covid-19 related issues affecting disabled
   people’s choice and control over their lives for example: changes to the built
   environment, streetscape and transport, advice and advocacy support, and employment
   advice or advice to individuals about their rights if they feel they need to 
   continue to shield
 * **Isolation: **covering work to tackle isolation for example: providing IT equipment
   and support so people can access on-line support or setting up and running peer
   support networks
 * **Income: **covering work to support disabled people to access benefits and entitlements
   and manage debt issues

 

The fund will be able to pay for equipment, running and staffing costs as well as
covering a full cost recovery model.

 

Any DPO in the UK can apply if a majority of their governing body (greater than 
51%) or management committee are made up of disabled people and they have a constitution–
so they do not need to be a registered charity.

 

Grants of £1,000 up to £25,000 are available, and the funding period is 8 months
from 1 November 2020 to 30 June 2021.

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