Coronavirus: funding and financial help

Charities and businesses may be anxious about finances and funding at this time, as well as the worry for individuals. Here we have some of the funds and advice available to help.

This page will be updated regularly so keep checking in for the latest information.

Don’t forget, you can sign up for our monthly Funding Bulletin which has a roundup of funds and awards available. Find out more here.

Page updated 25 June 5:45pm

Advice and information

The Money Advice Service offers guidance and an action plan to help you manage your finances at this time.
The government have announced a package of support to public services, businesses and people through this difficult time. This includes a rates holiday for village halls. You can find details here.
ACRE have confirmed that the ‘Expanded Retail Discount Relief’ announced by the government includes charitable halls and Community Amateur Sports clubs (CASCs), meaning they should receive 100% rate relief this year. Read the guidance here.
NCVO have a useful guide for people self-isolating on how to use money safely at this time.
The Post Office are making access to their cash products faster to help those who are self-isolating.
The National Lottery have issued a statement about how they will be issuing funding.
The Charity Commission updated their coronavirus guidance on 24 March to include financial advice.
Good Finance provides funder updates, articles, programmes and schemes supporting charities and social enterprises with financial resilience.
The government have updated guidance on managing financial difficulties in your charity caused by coronavirus.
For business support sign up to the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s briefings.
For webinars and digital resources to help you apply for funding, visit our Community Gateway.
BDO, an accountancy and business advisory firm, has information and advice on business continuity and financial support

Please see below for funding available:

Businesses, charities and community groups

Edge post Covid Revival Fund is open to organisations working in the educational sector to support the development of projects and initiatives to revive education and support the sector to build back better. Grants are for between £10,000-50,000.
The Health Foundation Covid-19 Research Programme is offering funding of between £100k–£200k per project for a duration of up to 12 months to understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and is prioritising funding for UK-focused projects that explore:
• How health and social care service delivery has changed in light of Covid-19
• The impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities and the wider determinants of health.
Charity Bank have details on the expanded Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund available to charities and social enterprises.
Small and micro businesses who are not eligible for other business support grants may be able to apply to the government’s coronavirus Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund.
Grants of up to £10k are available from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund for projects that support Armed Forces communities during Covid-19. Deadline: 30 June
Asda Foundation has two new grant streams developed in response to Covid-19: the Hygiene Grant and the Healthy Holiday Grant.
Organisations specialising in giving social welfare legal advice who are struggling due to Covid-19 can can apply to the Community Justice Fund.
£200m of the Government’s £750m package to help charities is now open for applications through The National Lottery Community Fund. Apply here.
Organisations delivering services to people and communities affected by Covid-19 can apply to The National Lottery Community Fund for emergency funding between £10k and £100k.
Find coronavirus financial help available to support your business on this government site.
The Baring Foundation has announced three new funding streams as part of its £1 million Strengthening Civil Society Programme to support their grant holders and broader civil society when taking legal action related to Covid-19. Grants of up to £40,000 are available to all registered charities. Second deadline for applications is 11 August.
Community businesses facing a loss in trading income due to coronavirus can apply for a grant from Power to Change’s £5 million C-19 Emergency Trading Income Support Scheme.
The Resourcing Racial Justice Fund has grants from £5k to £50k for groups working to redress the impact of Covid-19 and beyond on those who identify as People of Colour (POC). First deadline: 15 June
Grants of up to £100k are available to frontline food aid charities to help them continue to provide food to the vulnerable. Deadline: 6 July
Barclays has launched £100m Covid-19 Community Aid package.
The National Lottery Community Fund has updated guidance for grant holders.
NYCC Locality Budgets Each county councillor has a budget of £5k per year which they can allocate small amounts of funding to support specific local activities.
The NYCC Stronger Communities Inspire Fund is now closed until 1 July. Community and voluntary groups that may need small scale financial support for local projects at this time due to Coronavirus, please contact your Local Stronger Communities Delivery Manager for further information.
Tesco’s Bags of Help COVID-19 Communities Fund has emergency grants of £500 to organisations supporting vulnerable groups. The streamlined application and payment process means a quick turnaround. NB. due to overwhelming demand the fund is now closed in Harrogate and York areas.
If you’re a small business (this includes village halls and community buildings) you may be eligible for the government’s Business Support Grant Funding.
Charities and social enterprises with an income of up to £1m can apply for a £10k emergency grant from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) to help support the running of their organisation at this critical time. There is a quick turnaround of a 14 day payment. Apply here.
Two Ridings Community Foundation is working with the National Emergencies Trust to establish a fund with grants up to £10,000 to support community groups through this unprecedented time. The focus of the fund will be to offer community organisations emergency funding to deal with emerging issues in the community as a result of the continuing threat of coronavirus. Applications to this fund will be assessed on an ongoing basis subject to available funds. Apply here.
The Dulverton Trust is prioritising applications from charities that meet their guidelines and are either (a) well-placed to deliver vital services to vulnerable communities affected by the current crisis or (b) charities with which they have an existing relationship.
Chances for Children grants from Buttle UK are targeted at improving the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people and their capacity to engage in education and learning with the current changing needs. Applications can be made in the usual way, via a support worker.
The Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust and Seafarer’s UK have developed the Covid-19 Rapid Response Grant Programme to assist food charities, fishing and seafood businesses.
Applications are now open for the next round of the Aviva Community Fund until 28 July.

Sports, arts and heritage

Historic England have grants of up to £25,000 for urgent maintenance and repairs of local historic buildings and sites so that they are able to reopen to the public subject of course to Covid-19 restrictions.
Sport England will match fund up to £10k of money raised by sports clubs and organisations who are struggling because of Covid-19.
The Heritage Fund has an emergency strand of funding (from £3k to £250k) for organisations struggling due to Covid-19.
Arts Council England have announced an emergency package of funding for individuals and organisations working in the cultural sector.
The Film & TV Charity have an Urgent Financial Support fund and will soon be launching an Emergency Relief Fund in partnership with the BFI. You can read more about both here.
Sport England have made £195m of funding available to help the sport and physical activity sector.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has put together a £50m emergency fund for the heritage sector. Grants between £3k and £50k are available.

Vulnerable and at risk groups

The Foyle Foundation has grants of £1,000 – £10,000 for smaller, grass-roots and local charities across the UK which are currently delivering services to the young, vulnerable, elderly, disadvantaged or the general community either directly or through online support.
Independent Age has funding for small organisations working with older people who have been hardest hit by the coronavirus. Deadlines: 2 July, 21 August
The British Red Cross Hardship Fund provides short term financial help for people who can’t afford the essentials. The British Red Cross’s Referral Partner Organisations can register people for cash assistance. They can request a one-off payment of £120 or a three month grant
Community groups in Richmondshire who are supporting vulnerable residents can apply to the Richmondshire Coronavirus Community Grant scheme for cash handouts of £50 to £500.
The UK insurance and long-term savings industry has launched the Covid-19 Support Fund to help people and communities hardest hit by the coronavirus.
Organisations that support victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence can now apply for the Ministry of Justices £20m Covid-19 Extraordinary funding.
Voluntary sector organisations working in the criminal justice system can apply for Clinks’ Covid-19 response grants.
Charities, social enterprises and public sector agencies that support vulnerable young people at risk of youth violence in England and Wales during the Covid-19 crisis can apply for grants starting at £25k from the Youth Endowment Fund. Deadline: 3 June 2020.
Ryedale voluntary and community sector groups can apply for grants of up to £4k from Ryedale District Council to deliver their coronavirus response activities to vulnerable residents.
The Childs Charitable trust has launched an Emergency Funding programme to support charities that are experiencing financial difficulties due to coronavirus.
Young asylum seekers or refugees can apply to the Hope for the Young Emergency Relief Fund. The funding can be used for buying food, medication, toiletries or topping up gas or electric meters or mobiles.
Food distributors who are directing surplus food to vulnerable people during coronavirus can apply to WRAP for funding.
Community groups can apply for National Survivor User Network (NSUN) grants of £1K to help with peer support, community action and mutual aid for mental health during coronavirus.
The Alpkit Foundation has funding for individuals or groups who are helping people affected by coronavirus, such as the homeless, elderly or vulnerable.
The Clothworkers Foundation has capital grants of up to £5k to help groups working with vulnerable or at risk people.
Grants of £5k+ are available from Standard Life Foundation for charitable activity directly related to the pandemic, but which meet the Foundation’s remit of research, campaigning and policy work to improve living standards and personal finances for people on low to middle incomes.
If you work with people who may be struggling to pay their energy bills because of the impact of the coronavirus, the British Gas Energy Trust can help.
The Young Women’s Trust has set up an Emergency Fund in response to the Coronavirus outbreak for young, low-paid women who will be the worst hit during the Covid-19 lockdown, especially those likely to work in a sector forced to stop trading because of the lockdown, such as in hospitality, retail or transport. Young women can’t apply for funding themselves, but can be referred to the fund by Women’s Aid, Women’s Resource Centre, or Women for Refugee Women who are identifying women who would benefit most from the fund, which will provide relief payments of £150 to young women ages 18-30 who are facing financial crisis and struggling to afford utilities, food, or rent.
Mind have launched the Coronavirus Mental Health Support Fund for voluntary sector organisations to continue providing, or to provide additional, mental health services at this time.

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Funding and financial help