Grants for community and voluntary organisations

The pandemic has been difficult for many organisations in the borough and many are now considering how they will reopen after lockdown. There is a range of funding available to support community and voluntary groups to remobilise, adapt and respond to the ongoing demands and continue delivering services. Details and links to more information about each of these funding streams are listed below:

 

Emotional Wellbeing: New Opportunities Fund

Essex County Council (ECC) has announced a new fund designed to support initiatives focused on helping people whose emotional wellbeing has been affected by Covid-19. The £100,000 “Emotional Wellbeing: New Opportunities Fund” will open on 1^st April for applications from individuals or groups who need help in kickstarting their ideas and small grants of £100 to £5,000 will be available. Expressions of interest can be made from 15^th March by emailing CandFCommissioning@essex.gov.uk. For full details please visit the ECC website. 

 

Essex Council for Voluntary Youth Services (ECVYS) Remobilisation Micro Grants

These are grants of up to £500 designed to support small, local, not-for-profit voluntary children’s and youth groups/clubs. The grant can cover Covid-19 costs associated with the reopening of these groups/ clubs and can go towards any hygiene or infrastructure costs that groups may have to help them re-open safely, such as PPE and plexiglass screens, but also towards subs money for families that may struggle with payment this term due to Covid. Further details and application form can be found on the ECVYS website.

 

Contain Outbreak Management Fund

Essex County Council has received funding from the Department for Health and Social Care to support the costs associated with ongoing public health and the outbreak management costs of tackling Covid-19, and to provide the voluntary and community sector with financial aid to respond to, and further contain, the spread of Covid-19.

All pots will seek to fund initiatives which deliver one or more of the following outcomes:

• Reduction in transmission of the virus
• helping people to stay safe and isolate
• reduce barriers to accessing vaccine

Three funding pots are available:

1. The Essex Association of Local Councils (EALC) is offering small grants of up to £5000 to community and voluntary, including mutual aid, groups who have come together to help others in their community. For more information and examples of how the grant could be used, please visit the EALC website.
2. The Essex Community Foundation (ECF) is offering grants of up to £20,000 for voluntary organisations experiencing increased demand or adapting their existing services to support changing needs as a result of the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. For more details please go to the ECF website
3. Essex County Council is distributing grants of up to £50,000 to medium-sized voluntary and community organisations and statutory organisations delivering health and wellbeing services to meet increased demand on services and deliver activities to reduce the r number. Further information and guidance about how to apply can be found on the ECC website.

The deadline for applications is 30^th June 2021.

 

Funding support for sports and activity clubs

Sport England Return to Play Fund

Sport England has opened a Return To Play fund to support the sport and physical activity sector. There are three parts to this new fund: Small Grants and the Community Asset Fund, and Active Together crowdfunding – all three focus on a safe return to play and narrowing the inequalities gap in sport and physical activity.

To find out more and which funding streams your organisation may be eligible for, please visit the Sport England website.

The Active Essex Funding Finder can also help sport and activity clubs identify suitable funding streams and filter their search depending on what type of sport or activity they deliver, the age range of participants and what the money can be used for.