Lloyds Bank Foundation launches £7.4 million COVID-19 grants programme for small and local charities
Small and local charities in Wales that are helping people overcome complex social issues can now apply for two-year unrestricted grants of £50,000 with dedicated organisational development support.
To meet the needs of small and local charities and the people they support, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales will open new COVID-19 funding to support charities to recover beyond the immediate crisis on 3rd August 2020. Eligible for support are charities with an income between £25,000 and £1 million across Wales tackling complex social issues such as mental health, homelessness and domestic abuse[i] and with a proven track record of helping people achieve positive change in their local communities.
The Foundation’s new criteria recognise that charities in Wales often provide a response to a specific social issue such as homelessness or domestic abuse alongside helping communities and individuals around a range of other issues, rather than solely being focused on a single issue.
The COVID Recovery Fund will offer 140 charities across England and Wales, 12-14 of which will be in Wales, a two-year unrestricted grant of £50,000 alongside the support of a Development Partner to help charities identify and act on any organisational needs.
The Development Partner will work hand in hand grant holders for a year helping them to identify and address their organisational needs at this time of rapid change and challenge.
Paul Streets OBE, Chief Executive, Lloyds Bank Foundation said: “These last few months have been immensely challenging for charities, yet small and local charities continue to go to immense efforts to help the people that need them most. They have been developing innovative ways of reaching people, adapting their service delivery models, forming strong partnerships with local agencies to coordinate support and so much more. So, we wanted to ensure that we make our grants more accessible to charities in Wales.”
Rachel Marshall, Manager for Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation added: “The relaxed criteria for Welsh charities means that we will be able to award funding for a broader range of charities that provide a variety of support to people in their communities across Wales.”
Applications for the COVID Recovery Fund will be open from 10am 3rd August 2020 until 5pm 11th September 2020. Grants will be awarded to 140 small and local charities in England and Wales before the end of the year.
Please visit https://www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk/ for further information on the COVID Recovery Fund. A Q&A webinar with the members of the grants team will be held on 11th August between 2pm – 3.30pm. Applicants can register for the webinar here.
[i] The Foundation helps charities to tackle the following complex social issues:
- Addiction and dependency
- Asylum seekers and refugees
- Care leavers
- Domestic abuse
- Homeless and vulnerably housed
- Learning disabilities
- Mental health
- Offending, prison and community service
- Racial equity
- Sexual abuse and exploitation
- Trafficking and modern slavery
- Young parents