Funder responses in light of the Covid-19 virus
We find ourselves in an unprecedented situation for the UK in modern times, as communities, voluntary organisations and funders navigate their ways through social-distancing, self-isolating and home working to a scale few people are used to.
A large number of England based funders (many funding projects across the UK) are taking a coordinated approach to their response to the Covid-19 virus and its impacts on voluntary sector organisations. The essential points are that these funders are committed to supporting their grant recipients by being flexible with grants and reporting deadlines and listening to the needs of their recipients.
The full statement and list of funders involved can be found here. It includes key funders including:
- Children in Need
- Comic Relief
- Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
- Garfield Weston Foundation
- Jospeh Rowntree Charitbable Trust
- Lloyds Bank Foundation of England and Wales
- Paul Hamlyn Foundation
- People’s Health Trust
- Tudor Trust
If you are funded by any of the organisations on the full list, you are encouraged to contact them as and when you need to.
Below is a summary of the statements being made by key funders for Wales. We will update the summary regularly. If your funder isn’t listed here and you haven’t heard from them, please contact them directly (email is probably the best method if we assume all funders are currently working remotely). Funders are listed alphabetically:
Architectural Heritage Fund Wales
Continuing taking applications and assessments as advertised. They are encouraging grant holders, loan recipients and applicants to contact them directly if they have any concerns.
Community Foundation Wales
If you are in receipt of a grant from CFW and need to delay or make changes to project delivery due to the Covid-19 outbreak, then please get in touch with them by e-mailing grants@communityfoundationwales.org.uk adding the name of your organisation and the fund from which you have been offered a grant in the subject line.
The Foundation have funding that they are making available to support charities and community groups continue to support their communities and vulnerable people. To ensure the funding they distribute goes to where it’s needed, they are consulting with the Welsh third sector to assess their immediate and ongoing needs. You can complete this short survey here.
National Lottery Community Fund
The Fund are trusting grantees to do what is best for their organisations, staff and communities.
- Accommodating changes to grant timelines and activities as charities focus their energies on supporting communities through this unprecedented time
- Grantees can continue to pay staff who are unable to work due to government advice around self0isolating, -quarantining etc
- Flexible approach to reporting
- Shifting current application deadlines
They are encouraging grant holders to focus on their work, but grant officers are available to respond to queries and they hope to make their advice line available as soon as possible.
National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund are interested to hear from grant recipients about how they are being affected by the virus to inform how they can best support the heritage sector and have shared a survey to allow groups to contribute to this. Further announcements will come about their funding approach as they get a better picture of how grant recipients are being impacted
Full statement and updates
Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund
Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund CIC recognises that Coronavirus (COVID-19) will have a big impact on communities across The Fund area. We want to reassure you that we will do whatever we can to support you in the coming weeks. All meetings and appointment days are being done remotely via telephone, video calls and email.
WCVA
The health and wellbeing of all is the most important thing at this time which means if you have to reduce or stop project activity to safeguard staff and/or those that you work with, we fully understand. We continue to make representations to funders, including Welsh Government and WEFO, that they will need to show understanding and flexibility.
The responses to date to these representations have been supportive and appreciative of the difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in. We ask that you keep us informed and then at a point in the future when things are clearer, we can work through the impact and changes to your project.
Waterloo Foundation
The Waterloo Foundation team are working remotely; normal communication lines remain open. Phone calls will be passed on to grantees’ normal Fund Manager.
They will be making grant payments and reviewing applications in line with their funding criteria as usual. They are also encouraging current grant holders to contact their Fund Manager about how they can help, for example by moving payment or reporting dates, or anything else.
Steve Morgan Foundation
Suspending normal applications in order to focus on delivering their Emergency Fund. £12m being made available over next 12 weeks for charities delivering additional emergency services and those experiencing a loss in fundraised income to stay operational.
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