In response to the coronavirus, Social Investment Business have launched a Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund for social enterprises and charities which have been adversely impacted by the pandemic. The £25 million fund provides emergency loans of between £100,000 to £1,500,000 without requiring personal guarantees and charging no interest fees or interest for twelve months. The Fund is intended to provide working capital until normal business can resume for organisations that are facing financial difficulty. Loans could be used to cover delays in trade payments, or for business modification to meet increase in service demand. The initial £25 million has been provided by Big Society Capital, with loans backed by the Government’s existing Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. The closing date for applications is 11.59 pm on the 31st March 2021. Click here

Councils, schools and community groups have the opportunity to bid for funding to hold their own local events to celebrate and commemorate the positive impact of the Windrush Generation on modern Britain. A total of £500,000 is available for bids from charities and community groups. Grants of £2,500 and up to £25,000 will be awarded for innovative, active community engagement projects making a positive impact in at least one of three areas: celebration, commemoration and education. The funding is being made available through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the closing date for applications is 23:59, on the 10th March 2021.

The National Lottery Community Fund’s Growing Great Ideas Fund has £25 million available to fund projects that support long-term societal change and are future-focussed. The National Lottery Community Fund wants to invest in different combinations of people, communities, networks and organisations over the long term that demonstrate an ability to seed and grow alternative systems, develop and test new ways of building a stronger civil society, and to learn and adapt as they go. This could involve developing new ideas on how the economy could work or how society could be organised. Charities, CICs, CIOs, and voluntary, community and other not-for-profit organisations are invited to apply for grants of up to £150,000. The minimum length for projects is two years. Funding can be available for up to ten years in some circumstances. Applications can be submitted at any time. Click here

Registered London charities that are working with people with long term health conditions, mental ill-health or addictions can apply for grant of up to £10,000 to support their work. The funding is being made available through London Catalyst which runs a number of different grant making programmes. The next grant scrutiny meeting is on the 11th May 2021. Applicants are advised to submit bids at least four weeks prior to the meeting. This is for applications to the Project Grants and the Samaritan grants programme. To be eligible to apply, charities must be working with an expert health agency/provider and priority will be given to groups with an annual income of less than £250,000. Click here