City council pledges £100,000 for community and voluntary organisations

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has pledged £100,000 of financial support to community groups and voluntary organisations who are providing critical support to those impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19) living in the city.

The money will be available for community groups and charities to bid into to help them continue to support those who need it most during the pandemic. It will also help to ensure that those organisations that have seen usual funding or fundraising reduce are still able to access additional financial support.

The government has recently announced an allocation of £750m to support charities responding to the crisis in the UK. A total of £370m will go to small and medium-sized charities, channelled through the National Lottery Community Fund and other organisations. It will support locally-focused charities doing the most work during the outbreak. Another £360m will be allocated to charities providing essential services and supporting people. At this stage it is unclear how much of this funding will be allocated to Stoke-on-Trent and how any funding would be distributed across the sector.               

Groups or organisations who are providing support to residents in the city affected by the coronavirus can apply for a grant to fund service delivery, or for help with cashflow issues in advance of funding being allocated by central government. Ensuring that older and vulnerable residents have the support they need, while they are following the government’s instruction to stay at home and self-isolate is vitally important. Through the #StokeonTrentTogether initiative, run jointly by the council and voluntary sector partner VAST, thousands of people in the city have already been helped. The £100,000 funding will now allow even more community-delivered support to be put in place.

In Stoke-on-Trent, there are 371 registered charities and an estimated further 3,000 voluntary or community organisations. These organisations and groups employ staff and provide volunteering opportunities, as well as contributing to the local economy.

Council leader Abi Brown said: “In such challenging times, the amazing response from our community and voluntary sector to support those most in need has been superb. #StokeonTrentTogether has been incredibly successful and we know it’s getting to the people who need it the most. At the same time, we know the majority of voluntary sector organisations have been impacted directly themselves by Covid-19; whether that is through reduced income, the reduced ability to deliver public sector contracts or limited support through the national employer schemes.

“While a number of funding options are already available, we wanted to do something specifically for these groups who are making such a huge contribution to help people in our city. A total of 33 per cent of registered charities in Stoke-on-Trent have a turnover of less than £10,000 a year. This new funding pot means even more people in the city can be helped.”

VAST acting chief executive/finance director Lisa Healings said: “Through the #StokeonTrentTogether initiative, the voluntary sector has been working closely with the council to help people across Stoke-on-Trent through the impact of Covid-19. It is at times of crisis like this that the benefits of their work is plain to see, but it’s also a tough time for a number of charities and voluntary groups right now, with many losing self-generated income and the chance to carry out fundraising activities. At VAST we are pleased to hear that a new fund is being made available in the city to help our members carry on doing what they do best.”

Councillor Brown continued: “Like the business support funding, we’ve aimed to make applications as easy as possible so bids can be made by just filling in a simple form on-line. We’re going to review support on an ongoing basis and will continually review what we do in this ever-changing situation. Primarily we just want to make sure the funding gets quickly to those people who need it the most.”

There is no maximum limit for loan or grant applications although bids for more than £3,000 will require further evidence and be subject to additional scrutiny and ongoing monitoring. Some organisations that already receive city council funding will also be able to redirect unspent funds to support delivery of Covid-19-related support services. In addition, all 44 council members are able to divert £1,700 of their ward budgets to support individuals or groups in their local area who are being impacted by Covid-19.

The closing date for applications is 4pm on Friday 1st May. Responses to bids will be given as soon as possible after 1 May. Applications can be made at: https://www.stoke.gov.uk/voluntaryfund.