Today the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a £750m package designed to support struggling charities during the Coronavirus pandemic.
This follows concerns that some charities are facing huge financial challenges, with income streams such as charity shops, fundraising events and public donations being significantly impacted.
The support announced includes:
- £370m of funding that will support small, local charities working with vulnerable people. In England, this support will be provided through organisations like the National Lottery Communities Fund. £60m of this will be allocated to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- £360m (cash grants) available directly to charities who are providing essential services and supporting vulnerable people, as we battle COVID-19. £200m of this will go to supporting hospices. The rest will go to organisations like St John’s Ambulance, Citizens Advice Bureau, as well as charities supporting vulnerable children, victims of domestic abuse or disabled people.
- The Government will match pound for pound whatever the public donates to the BBC ‘Big Night In’ charity appeal on 23rd April, starting with at least £20m to the National Emergencies Trust appeal.
This is welcome news for the charity sector, which we hope will ease the financial strain on lots of charities and support other measures such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).
As with all of the financial measures the Government has been announcing it will take a little while for the details around eligibility and applying to be made available, we will keep you updated.
Please contact your TC partner today on 0330 088 7111 for support and guidance on accessing the funds and grants available to your charity.