More funding opportunities to help with Covid’s impact
Melanie May | 12 November 2020 | News
More funding for NHS charities, help for small youth organisations, and a new match funding scheme from Power to Change for community businesses
NHS Charities Together allocates further £12m in urgent funding
In response to the increase in Covid infections and hospital admissions, NHS Charities Together has allocated an additional £12m in urgent funding to support NHS staff, volunteers and patients.
Second wave Covid grants worth £50,000 are available immediately to all NHS charities in areas dealing with a surge in cases and hospital admissions.
Each NHS charity will direct the grant towards whatever will make the biggest difference for the staff, volunteers and patients they support, such as providing hot meals and a place to rest for staff working long hours and specialised psychological support for staff struggling with stress, trauma and separation from their loved ones.
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Ellie Orton, CEO of NHS Charities Together, said:
“We put aside this money back in the summer, hoping we wouldn’t have to draw on it. Sadly, with the increasing levels of infections and rising hospital admissions, now is the time to get it out to NHS charities so they can use it to provide even more support to NHS staff, volunteers and patients caught in the middle of this second wave.
“We owe a huge thanks to everyone who has so far donated to or fundraised for the appeal. They are the reason we are able to get this funding out there where it is most needed. It is astonishing and humbling that the public and organisations have now donated over £140 million to the appeal.”
An initial £30m of the money raised by the appeal was used to meet the immediate and urgent needs of staff, volunteers and patients as they tackled the initial Covid wave back in the spring and summer.
Two subsequent rounds of funding are focused on supporting local NHS charities to widen the scope of the support they are providing, to help vital partnerships outside hospitals, such as hospices, community healthcare and social care, making sure those vital support services and organisations are resourced to provide the care to patients, volunteers and staff.
They are also providing additional support where it is most needed by NHS staff, volunteers and patients in their area, with a focus on support for people who are disproportionately affected by the Covid crisis, such as patients and staff from BAME communities and high-risk groups like those living with disabilities.
In the longer term the money raised will also fund programmes to help staff and families recover fully once the crisis has abated, reducing the long-term impact on them and the people they care about.
UK Youth Announces £2m Covid Relief Fund
UK Youth has secured £2m in funding to support small youth organisations who have not had access to the crisis funding they require to survive the pandemic.
The UK Youth Fund – Covid Relief is funded through the DCMS Community Match Challenge scheme, with funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), Pears Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of the Government’s £750m charities package.
The grants are available to organisations that have lost funding, face the threat of closure, or had to reduce delivery or services supporting young people, and will directly support young people. Awarded organisations can use the funds to cover staff salaries, project running costs, organisational development and goods and equipment which supports delivery.
Organisations that are based and deliver work in England, with a turnover of less than £250,000, are eligible to apply for grants of up to £50,0000. The application process will be open until midday on 25 November.
UK Youth is particularly keen to hear from organisations that support young people who are most affected by systemic oppression and discrimination.
Lindsay Marsden, Director of Partnerships & Fundraising at UK Youth, said:
“We are overjoyed to launch the UK Youth Fund – Covid Relief, thanks to DCMS, Pears Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. This is a pivotal step in reaching our ambitions to channel millions of pounds of investment to the youth sector over the coming years.
“The impact of the pandemic has had a devastating impact on young people and the safe spaces which support them. The role of youth organisations has never been more needed.
“We know that Covid is having, and will continue to have, an acute impact on the sector, especially after 10 years of de-funding and lack of investment. We are hearing how many organisations are fighting for survival whilst still trying to support the young people who need their help the most. We hope this is just a start.”
Organisations can find out how to apply and read FAQs here.
Match-funding scheme to help communities rebuild goes live
Power to Change has launched Community Business ReBoost fund. A match-funding programme, it is designed to help local communities recover, adapt and rebuild resilience through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Delivered in partnership with The Community Shares Unit – a joint initiative between Co-operatives UK and Locality – Community Business ReBoost will support community businesses to plan and prepare a community share offer, to help them build business resilience and continue to deliver their key services and protect their assets.
These matched-funding grants aim to incentivise local people to invest in their local community businesses and assets through community shares. For every pound raised through community shares, Power to Change will match it up to £25,000. Development grants up to £5,000 are also available to help businesses to prepare a share offer.
Power to Change is particularly targeting existing community businesses that are community benefit societies, co-operatives societies or charitable community benefit societies. However, established community businesses willing to convert to a society model to launch a community share offer can also be supported.
Support available:
- Development grants – up to £5,000 for community businesses to prepare a community share offer. The grant can fund: financial planning, governance support, marketing costs and achieving the Community Shares Standard Mark
- Match equity investment – typically matching pound for pound up to £25,000 invested by the Booster Programme, providing that the minimum share offer target is achieved.
Vidhya Alakeson, CEO at Power to Change, said:
“Engaging with local people is vital to the success and resilience of any community business. A community share offer is a very effective way for community businesses to not only to secure financial backing but also wider support from the local community. As we head into a second national lockdown, ReBoost matched investment offers organisations a real opportunity to tap into people’s interest in supporting and getting more involved in their local area, which has increased throughout the pandemic.”
Providing more information, there is a webinar tomorrow, Friday 13 November, at 10am.
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.