South of England

NEWS: Groundwork launches Comic Relief Covid-19 community grants

As of today, small charities and community organisations across England will be able to apply to Groundwork for grants of up to £4,000 thanks to funds raised by the British public through The Big Night In appeal and with match funding from Department for Culture Media and Sport.

Eligible groups delivering against Comic Relief’s four themes of gender justice, mental health, homelessness and early childhood development will be able to apply for grants to enable the group to provide emergency relief in their communities. A separate ‘capacity building’ fund will also provide grants of up £1,000 to help support groups become more robust, better able to deliver projects and bring about lasting change.

Groundwork’s national CEO, Graham Duxbury, said:  “We’re delighted to be able to distribute these funds to local charities and community groups and so grateful to all those people who generously donated to The Big Night In.

“As an organisation that has been supporting communities for nearly four decades, we know what can be achieved when people are given the resources and help to bring about change in their local areas. We also know how hard local groups are working to meet rising demand in the face of reducing income.

These funds will provide a vital lifeline now so that essential services can be continued, but also ensure more local organisations are able to play a role in rebuilding their communities and making them more resilient in the future.

Clare Kiely, Senior Investment Partner at Comic Relief added: “The Big Night In provided an opportunity for the British public to come together to help those most affected by coronavirus. We are thrilled to work with Groundwork to ensure those funds reach into the heart of communities across England and support small local organisations to continue to provide life changing support to people who need it most.’


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