Small charities & groups urged to apply for remaining £747K of NET Coronavirus Appeal funds
Melanie May | 19 January 2022 | News
Over £747,000 of Coronavirus Appeal funds is still available to grassroots groups, the National Emergencies Trust has announced today.
The National Emergencies Trust has just published its Annual Report and is also calling for small charities and groups to apply for the remaining funds through its Local Action Fund, a match-funding partnership with Crowdfunder UK helping local projects counter the pandemic’s impacts.
Its Annual Report 2020/21 charts the progress and impact of the Coronavirus Appeal which launched in March 2020 and to date has raised more than £99.5million.
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This includes £88million in the last financial year. During this period, more than 13,000 grants were awarded to meet urgent needs UK-wide through UK Community Foundations and its network of 47 community foundations, as well as ten national charity partners.
With ongoing restrictions likely to impact charities’ fundraising efforts, while increasing demand for their services, the National Emergencies Trust is urging groups that have not yet benefited from the Coronavirus Appeal to apply to the Local Action Fund.
Eligible projects can set up a fundraising campaign on Crowdfunder UK, and the National Emergencies Trust will match donations they receive up to £10,000. Since the Local Action Fund launched last September more than 100 projects across the UK have signed up to start fundraising, and the Fund will now remain open for ongoing applications.
Mhairi Sharp, CEO of the National Emergencies Trust, said:
“The Local Action Fund was launched to help small local projects to get back on their feet after the challenges of the pandemic, and remains as relevant as ever following the latest measures announced in December. We’ve decided to keep the Fund open so that those in need of a financial boost, either for new projects or to cover core costs, don’t miss out at this difficult time.
“The National Emergencies Trust was conceived by the Charity Commission to bring the charity sector together during disasters so we can all do our best for those affected. The Coronavirus Appeal has proved this concept works. At one end of the sector, community foundations and the Local Action Fund have been helping grassroots groups deliver vital community services, without the worry of fundraising during lockdowns. At the other, national charities like Barnardo’s have been able to launch valuable new services, such as Boloh, which has since secured further funding. The Boloh helpline is just one example of the positive legacies to come out of the challenges of Covid, and shows what’s possible when our sector pulls together.”
General The Lord Dannatt, Chair of the National Emergencies Trust, said:
“The Coronavirus Appeal’s inspiring stories of lockdown fundraisers, pop-up grassroots projects, new national charity services and innovative corporate partnerships show the truly collaborative effort the Appeal came to be. The very nature of our role as an emergency response charity means every new disaster will bring a different set of challenges and circumstances. Survivors and their loved ones will have new and unique needs, which will require new ways of thinking and working. But I am confident that the National Emergencies Trust has laid strong foundations through the Coronavirus Appeal, and now have the right partners and people around us to be ready to make a difference to people’s lives, wherever and whenever we are next needed.”
The National Emergencies Trust’s latest Annual Report features an updated logo for the charity. Designed by brand experience agency, Designroom, it features four emergency chevrons to represent each nation of the UK and makes the charity’s full name more prominent than previously to support its brand-building efforts. The new logo also features on a new website for the Trust, designed and built by its patron, digital marketing agency, Alcimi.
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.