# £1.4 million available for charities through new Increasing Access Fund

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/10/27/1-4m-available-for-charities-through-new-increasing-access-fund/
- Published: 2020-10-27T11:31:04+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The Peter Sowerby Foundation has issued an open call for applications to its new
£1.4 million Increasing Access Fund. **

 

The [Increasing Access Fund](https://www.petersowerbyfoundation.com/increasing-access-fund)
specifically aims to ensure or increase access to key services and activities for
beneficiaries who have struggled with this due to the pandemic: for example, because
of lockdown measures or the fact that existing charitable services are unable to
be delivered in a Covid-secure way.

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The Fund will support charities to digitally enable access to services, or to adapt
their delivery of existing services to comply with social distancing or other Covid-
response measures.

 

It will award a total of £1.4 million to organisations nationally, working within
the Peter Sowerby Foundation’s key domains of:

 

 * **Healthcare Innovation** – organisations in the fields of disability, medical
   research, mental health and those supporting individuals with long-term health
   conditions.
 * **Community** – organisations working with young people, especially those considered
   disadvantaged, delivering support to those disproportionately affected by Covid-
   19 and/or those working to support isolated older people.
 * **Environment **– organisations working in the area of horticulture and conservation
   which have been significantly financially impacted by the closure of venues.
 * **Arts ­­­**– organisations working in the area of arts, health and well-being
   where services and programmes are being adapted to benefit communities impacted
   by Covid-19.

 

The programme is split into three funding streams:

 

 1. **Digital Breakthrough Grants **to pilot new innovations or service delivery – 
    the Foundation will fund five large grants of up to £100,000 to support charities(
    with a maximum turnover of £5 million) in the area of innovation and transformation
    in health and social care through digital service delivery.
 2. **Digital Good Causes** – a fund for grants of up to £25,000 (for organisations
    with a turnover of around £500,000) seeking to transform or adapt new services 
    digitally.

 

 3. **Adapted Good Causes** – a fund for grants of up to £25,000 (for organisations
    with a turnover of around £500,000) to pilot, test or launch new services in light
    of the COVID-19 situation.

 

David Aspinall, the Chair of Trustees, commented:_ _

 

> “Whilst the Foundation has already awarded significant grants in response to the
> COVID-19 crisis, we recognise the need for further support. As such, we are delighted
> to announce a further £1.4 million to support organisations to launch new or adapt
> existing services to ensure that beneficiaries can access the vital support they
> need at this time.”

 

The Peter Sowerby Foundation was set up through an endowment by Dr Peter Sowerby,
who created the software behind EMIS, which supplies clinical software to GPs in
the UK.

 

The deadline for applications is 5pm on 16 November 2020. More details and information
on how to apply is [available on the Foundation’s site](https://www.petersowerbyfoundation.com/increasing-access-fund).

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