The Scottish Government has made funding available for organisations most affected by the financial implications of the pandemic
With more details here and here, this is a summary of what has been made available:
£350m fund to support welfare and wellbeing
- £95m to local authorities: £50m in Barnett consequentials from the UK Government’s hardship fund directly to local authorities; £45m added to the Scottish Welfare Fund (for community grants and crisis grants available to those in immediate need)
- £70m Food Fund for organisations in public, private and voluntary sectors to address food insecurity especially for older people and families not able to rely on free school meals
- £50m Wellbeing Fund for charities and others who require additional capacity to work with at-risk people worst affected by crisis, including homeless people and sufferers of fuel poverty
- £40m Supporting Communities Fund to support local efforts to support people at risk because of age or isolation. Carers, homeless people and asylum seekers also being supported, and people will be signposted to sources of help, such as applications for benefits
- £50m to meet anticipated increase in applications for existing Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Scottish social security benefits
- £20m for Third Sector Resilience Fund to help ensure the health and continued viability of third sector organisations, which have a key role to play in national response, affected by cashflow and other problems
- £25m kept in reserve for flexible responses to rapidly changing circumstances
Our members may be particularly interested in the £20m Third Sector Resilience Fund. You can check your organisation’s eligibility for funding and how to apply on the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) website here.
Charities have also been invited to apply for the £50m Wellbeing Fund. You can check eligibility and apply by the 22 May on the SCVO website here.
Properties occupied by charities can also now apply for the £10,000 Small Business Grant Scheme to help with pressures caused by COVID-19. The scheme is administered through local councils, so check your local authority’s website for details on how to apply.
If you would like any support in making applications for any of these funds, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Evangelical Alliance Scotland and we can work with you.
