Please find below a range of funding support specifically designed to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next round of the Catalysts for Change Fund opens for applications on Monday 21st September.
Supported by the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS) and the National Lottery (TNL) Community Fund Scotland, the fund offers grants up to £5,000 for projects led by community nurses who work with the local community to improve the health and wellbeing of marginalised groups.
These projects might directly address community responses to COVID-19 (such as psychological trauma (toxic stress) made worse by the pandemic), or they could incorporate any nurse-led initiative to improve health equity.
The closing date for applications is 12pm on Thursday 26th November. Pre-application discussions with QNIS staff are strongly encouraged.
For further information, including how to apply, please visit the QNIS website.
NHS Forth Valley’s Health Promotion Service has grants of up to £500 available.
The COVID-19 Response Grants support organisations to do one or all of the following:
- a range of health and wellbeing activities in response to COVID-19 which address a reduction in health inequalities (including improving mental health and wellbeing)
- piloting new ideas and initiatives or adapting previous activities
- development of employees, volunteers or clients directly relating to the work of the programme funding is being sought for
- purchase equipment which directly relates to the work of the programme
Ongoing support will be offered, and a guidance document is available online for potential applicants. It is anticipated that allocation decisions will be made quickly.
To apply, please complete the application form and return by email: fv-uhb.hpgrants@nhs.net
Alternatively, for further information (including eligibility queries), contact the Health Promotion Service at the email address above.
The National Lottery (TNL) Community Fund Scotland has announced their current funding programmes will remain open for an extra 18 – 24 months, though they will be adapted as needed.
They believe it is important to ensure third sector organisations can access their funds, to support them to respond and recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. By remaining open for applications, they hope they can better support the third sector through COVID-19 and recovery.
Some grants and funding will remain unchanged, while others will be adapted to be more focused on recovery, with shorter grants and quicker turnarounds.
Headlines:
- the National Lottery Awards for All and Young Start funds will remain open and unchanged
- the Improving Lives grants remain open, but will be shorter, quicker to access, and will fund a wider range of work focused on recovery from COVID-19
- from Thursday 1st October, the maximum grant will be £200,000, from on year up to 3 years, with a single stage application.
- Community-Led Activity grants remain open; the team are reviewing these now to make sure they are relevant to the current situation, and will make any changes before the end of 2020.
- COVID-19 responses are still prioritised across all funds, but they remain open to non-COVID-19 related work too
- apart from the review and amendments highlighted here, there will be no other large-scale changes to our main grants until at least 2022
For all fund updates, including links and deadlines, please view the full article.
Foundation Scotland is providing immediate grant funding to support constituted community groups and charities which are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in their local community. Funding is available between £1,000 – £5,000, and will be focused on immediate community needs.
As some lockdown restrictions are lifted, the Recovery funding phase aims to support organisations continuing their operations in the “new normal”, to re-establish or re-design their activities to comply with new regulations, in addition to providing emergency support for those who need it most.
The focus of Recovery funding is to provide:
- support for the ongoing needs of vulnerable people to ensure their health and wellbeing is maintained
- support to groups and activities supporting vulnerable people self-isolating (older people, those with pre-existing medical conditions, etc)
- support for foodbanks and organisations working to combat hardship caused by the pandemic, including child hunger
- support to aid community response coordination
- support for volunteer costs for new and existing organisations
- additional costs to support a move to remote working and adapting services delivered in the wider community
- additional financial support as required for organisations providing emotional support, mental health and wellbeing and bereavement support
There is no deadline, but organisations are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Foundation Scotland aims to turn around funding applications swiftly, and to keep the application process straightforward.
The funding is only open to constituted groups and organisations, who are able to provide a governing document; interested applicants are encouraged to read the Recovery funding FAQ.
Those seeking immediate community support funding should complete the online application as soon as possible.
For further information, including how to apply, please visit the Response, Recovery and Resilience Fund page.
The Foyle Foundation’s Small Grants Scheme has re-opened to applications from registered charities with a turnover of less than £150,000 per annum. Charities can apply for between £1,000 – £10,000.
The scheme has been revised as a result of COVID-19, and will provide one year grants to cover only core costs or essential equipment, enabling ongoing service provision, homeworking, or delivery of online digital services to charities that can show financial stability.
The Foundation’s priority is supporting local charities still active in their communities who are currently delivering services, either directly or through online support. Applicants must show how any grant will make a significant difference to their current work.
Charities must illustrate ongoing financial viability over the twelve months from the date of their application; those who cannot demonstrate this are likely to have their application declined.
There are no deadlines for submission. Online applications can be received at any time, but it may take up to 3 months to obtain a decision from Trustees.
For further information (including how to apply), please read the full web article.
The Hardship Fund was created by the British Red Cross with their partner Aviva and the Aviva Foundation to help those most financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, working with a network of organisations and aiming to reach the people in greatest need.
Official “Referral Partners” register people with the British Red Cross for support; the fund then provides short term financial help for people who cannot afford the following essentials: food and toiletries, somewhere safe to sleep, access to a telephone and the internet, fuel to keep the lights on, cook or stay warm.
Through the Hardship Fund, the British Red Cross can help people who cannot afford these essentials because they have:
- no income or welfare support
- delays to accessing income or welfare support
They cannot help anyone in employment or already receiving financial support from statutory or voluntary services. (Full eligibility criteria can be checked when submitting a referral.)
The network of Referral Partner organisations register people for cash assistance. They can request a one-off payment of £120 or a 3 month grant; people registered for the 3 month grant will receive £360, paid in monthly instalments of £120 each. Families with children or other dependants can receive up to 3 grants, for a total of £1,080 over the 3 months.
The money will be delivered on a pre-paid card to the applicant’s chosen address. The cards can be used online or in shops, using chip and pin or contactless. ATM withdrawals are limited to £35 for the lifetime of the card. The card expires after 14 weeks and any remaining balance is returned to the British Red Cross.
Only official Referral Partners who are registered with the Hardship Fund can submit referrals.
To submit a referral, please visit the British Red Cross website.
Alternatively, for further information (including how to become an official Referral Partner), visit their FAQ page.
Applications are now open for the Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF).
Part of a £350 million support package by Scottish Government for the sector in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TSRF will support organisations across the third sector who are at risk of closure due to a sharp decrease in income, or who are unable to deliver their services as a direct result of the pandemic. The fund’s primary intention is to help these organisations to stabilise and manage cashflows over this period.
Due to the overwhelming demand for the TSRF, the Scottish Government has announced a second phase to the fund and pledged additional funding. For Phase 2, the guidance and criteria have been adapted to maximise the number of third sector organisations who can benefit:
- applicants must be at risk of or unable to cover essential costs within 12 weeks from the date of application
- the maximum grant amount awarded will be £75,000
- funding requests must be for a 3 month period (previously 4 months)
- eligible costs will be mostly limited to overheads and essential staff (administrative for example) who cannot be furloughed; further information is available in the FAQ section
- all grant applications requesting £50,000 or more will be considered for a loan, a grant or a blended approach (part grant, part loan)
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to read the fund’s guidance notes and FAQ prior to starting an application.
The TSRF is delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and the Corra Foundation, and offers charities, social enterprises, and community or voluntary groups grants of £5,000 – £100,000. In addition, there will be up to a further £5 million available in fully flexible, 0% interest loans starting at £50,000.
For further information, including how to apply, please visit the SCVO Coronavirus Third Sector Information Hub page.
Applications are now open for the CFSLA Lottery, with a maximum award of £500.
The Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling Local Authority (CFSLA) Lottery is open to charities, community and voluntary groups within these areas; awards can be used to support the group’s users during the COVID-19 pandemic, or restart their services.
Applications should be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to a committee meeting, or will be deferred to the next scheduled meeting for assessment.
The next meeting takes place on Tuesday 13th October; the deadline for applications this round was Tuesday 29th September. Dates for the next round (which is again expected to focus on the impact of COVID-19) are pending.
To apply, or for further information, please visit the CFSLA Lottery website.
Crowdfunder has announced that, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the work being done to support people across communities, they have now made all their funding platforms FREE to use.
The free platforms are available for charities and other third sector organisations (with a dedicated section for foodbanks), businesses (including social enterprises) and communities, and can be used to raise funds to (amongst others):
- supplement income lost through fundraising events, donations or services
- increase resources to support people using their services
For further information, please visit the Crowdfunder website.
Social Investment Scotland (SIS) has launched its new Ambitions for Recovery programme.
Developed with feedback from social enterprises across the country, and in partnership with the People’s Postcode Lottery and corporate sponsors Baillie Gifford, the programme combines a number of elements to support a cohort of up to 20 organisations through renewal and recovery.
The programme includes:
- peer support and regular catch ups with other enterprises in the cohort
- access to business grants for specialist support
- resilience support for social leaders
- expert masterclasses
- access to mentoring from Baillie Gifford staff
- tailored investment packages to invest in recovery
To express your interest in taking part, or for further information, please visit the SIS website.
Charity Bank has put together a list of emergency funds for charities, social enterprises and other third sector organisations experiencing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.
The list is updated regularly, with sections on UK-wide funding as well as those funds specific to each country, and those which are available internationally and regionally.
To view the full list, please visit the Charity Bank website.
The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Aileen Campbell MSP, has announced an additional £350 million of emergency funding for those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding will be made available to councils, third sector groups and charities, businesses and community groups, and is designed to be flexible, enabling them to respond swiftly and according to local need for people impacted economically or through reduced contact with society, including anyone struggling to access food.
The emergency funding package will include:
- a £70 million Food Fund
- a £50 million Wellbeing Fund
- a £40 million Supporting Communities Fund
- £50 million towards meeting an anticipated increase in applications for the existing Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Scottish social security benefits
- a £20 million Third Sector Resilience Fund
For further information, please read the full web article.
Scottish Government also announced a £320 million support package to limit the impact of COVID-19 on businesses in Scotland (which includes small, local business and social enterprises) during the 2020-21 financial year, including:
- a 75% rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure sectors with a rateable value of less than £69,000 from Wednesday 1st April
- an £80 million fund to provide grants of at least £3,000 to small businesses in sectors facing the worst economic impact of COVID-19
- 1.6% rates relief for all properties across Scotland, aiming to reverse the planned below inflation uplift in the poundage, from Wednesday 1st April
- a fixed rates relief of up to £5,000 for all pubs with a rateable value of less than £100,000, again from Wednesday 1st April
The Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes, will also write to all local authorities, urging them to respond positively to requests from rate payers for payment deferrals for a fixed period.
For further information, please visit the Scottish Government website.
In addition to the Scottish Government funding and support mentioned above, you can find out the latest information on these funds and other support for local businesses on the Falkirk Council website, including:
