New government fund offers £71mn in grants to charities & community groups
Melanie May | 25 July 2023 | News
The £70.9 million is for charities and community organisations helping vulnerable people and struggling to meet the increased need for their services.
The Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund is available through the National Lottery Community Fund. In total, it comprises £76mn, with £70.9mn available as grants.
Charities and community organisations can apply for £10,000 to £75,000 to cover project and core costs, including office rent, utilities, staff and volunteers, from now until 16 October, with a focus on small to medium-sized voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations based in England. Funding must be spent by next March.
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Minister for Civil Society Stuart Andrew said:
“We recognise this is a tough time for families and businesses across the country, as they face rising prices and higher rents or mortgage payments. And during tough times charity and community organisations are at the heart of society, supporting people struggling through life with care and compassion. To deal with a sharp rise in demand resulting from cost of living pressures, we are supporting charities with £76 million to enable these lifeline services to cope with the increased demand they are facing and continue their good work.”
The new fund is the first portion of funding from a total pot of £101.5 million announced by the Chancellor at the Spring Budget. The remaining quarter of the funding announced at Budget, worth £25.5 million, will be used to fund measures over the next two years to help the long-term energy and financial resilience of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, as well as supporting the Government’s commitment to meeting a net zero target by 2050. Details on the application process will be announced later this year.
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.