The National Lottery Community Fund has confirmed that the Government’s new £200m Coronavirus Community Support Fund will be open for applications as of 10am on Friday May 22.
The new funding stream is set to aid small and medium organisations within the country and aims, through the work of civil society organisations, to increase community support to vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Another objective of the fund will be to reduce temporary closures of essential charities and social enterprises in order to ensure that services for vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19 have the financial resources to operate, thus reducing the burden on public services.
National Lottery Community Fund CEO, Dawn Austwick, stated: “Charities are playing a vital role in channelling the right resources, to the right place, at the right time. This Government funding will fuel that vital work and give those charities greater certainty at this critical time for the country and we look forward to getting it to where it can make the most difference.
“In putting the programme together, we have been helped by insight and advice from across civil society. We will keep that conversation going to guide how we support charities and community organisations as they rebuild in the future.”
The funding stream will allow organisations who are experiencing an increased demand and/or short term income disruption to meet service costs. Furthermore, it will also serve as a tool to allow those affected to refocus its services to address more immediate beneficiary needs in light of COVID-19.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added: “Charities and social enterprises, with the support of volunteers, are the beating heart of our communities. Since the crisis hit, they have stepped up their response which has been vital to the national effort.
“We need our charities to help Britain bounce back, which is why we have pledged an unprecedented package of support to help them make a huge difference for vulnerable people across the country.”
Further details regarding application for the grant can be found on the National Lottery Community Fund’s website, with the grant now set to be distributed across England.
A statement released by the Community Fund concluded: “We’re committed to working flexibly, as far as possible, to support organisations to get the help needed to respond to the immediate crisis and prepare for the future.”