Aims/priorities: The £200 million Coronavirus Community Support Fund is part of the Government’s £750 million financial support package for charities and social enterprises during announced on 8 April 2020.
The £200 million Support Fund is being administered by the National Lottery Community Fund along with National Lottery funding to support not-for-profit organisations so that they can continue to deliver services to people and communities in England that are affected by COVID-19.
The Fund has two key objectives:
To increase community support to vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 crisis, through the work of civil society organisations.
To reduce temporary closures of essential charities and social enterprises, ensuring services for vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19 have the financial resources to operate, and so reduce the burden on public services.
Priority will be given to organisations:
Supporting people and communities who experience disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. This category includes, for instance,
Organisations supporting older people, disabled people (including people with long-term health conditions) and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, all of whom are facing specific challenges during the current crisis.
Organisations who provide advice and support to those pushed in crisis as a result of the pandemic.
Organisations supporting people and their families with end of life care.
Providing services and support for vulnerable people, for which there will be increased demand as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. This category includes, for instance,
Organisations supporting people and families who face financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.
Organisations working to prevent domestic abuse and violence against protected groups, those working with homeless people and those supporting vulnerable children and young people.
Organisations taht are dealing with an increased demand for mental health support and support to mitigate the increased challenges of loneliness and isolation.
Connecting communities and supporting communities to work together to respond to COVID-19. This category includes:
Organisations supporting local community activity, including volunteering, and community organising.
Organisations supporting community and sector infrastructure, including public information. There has been increased demand for support with the development of digital, data and technology capabilities.
Supporting the building capacity and infrastructure of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and other marginalised communities to ensure they are in a better position after the initial emergency response.
Government funding will be used to fund organisations in the first two categories. National Lottery funding will be used to fund organisations in the last category.
Who can apply? Applications will be accepted from the following types of organisations:
- Voluntary or community organisation
- Registered charity
- Constituted group or club
- Not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company
Priority will be given to small and medium-sized charities.
Organisations from communities such as disabled people and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are encouraged to apply.
Organisations should involve their community in the design, development and delivery of the activities they are planning.
Grant amount: The National Lottery Community Fund have two funds for projects and organisations helping communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. You can apply for one or both of these things, but you can only apply once. If your application is unsuccessful, you will not be able to apply again:
- Awards for All - between £300 and £10,000
- Reaching Communities - between £10,000 and £100,000
Small grants of between £300 and £10,000 will cover six months of expenditure and include:
- Organisation’s running costs
- Essential items for food banks
- Small land or refurbishment projects that can be delivered within Government guidelines
- Equipment
- One-off events
- Staff costs
- Training costs
- Transport
- Utilities/running costs
- Volunteer expenses.
Large grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 will cover six months of expenditure and this includes:
- Investments in systems
- Investments in people
- Investments in infrastructure
- Dedicated capacity development
- Staff salaries
- Project activities
- Running costs
- Small-scale refurbishment
- Equipment
- Organisational development
- Contributions to fixed costs.
Application process: Apply for the National Lottery Community Fund here
Deadline: Monday 17 August 2020
This funding stands alone from the National Lottery Community Fund’s regular funding streams (Awards for All and Reaching Communities). Therefore, if you apply to the CCSF fund, this does not prevent you from applying to Awards for All or Reaching Communities when they re-open later in the year.
Contact information: Action Together can help you develop your bid. We can support you to develop and write an application for funding. Contact us on development@actiontogether.org.uk
Website address: www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/covid-19/learn-about-applying-for-emergency-funding-in-england