There has been some concerns about the third sector funding, colleagues from the Third Sector Unit has advised:
The Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF) is a £20m emergency fund for charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations working in Scotland. It supports organisations that already deliver services and products but find themselves in financial difficulties directly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The primary intention of the fund is to help third sector organisations to stabilise and manage cash flows over this difficult period.
The Fund is being delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and the Corra Foundation and provides grants between £5,000-£100,000. In addition, up to a further £5m is available in fully flexible, 0% interest loans starting at £50,000. The fund is complemented by specialist business advice from Just Enterprise to help grant recipients maximise the impact of the financial support. More information can be found at https://scvo.org/support/coronavirus/funding/for-organisations/third-sector-resilience-fund/
I am providing the link to the eligibility checker which organisations are encouraged to use prior to application to check whether it is a suitable fund https://scvo.org.uk/support/coronavirus/funding/for-organisations/third-sector-resilience-fund/eligibility-checker The checker also offers advice on what they should do next if they are found to be ineligible. The most common reason is that organisations are seeking funding for an additional or extended service they are providing in response to C-19. The fund does not cover this. Other reasons may include the organisation having more than 8 weeks capital at the time of applying or, that they have furIoughed members of staff and are looking to make up the difference to full pay for them.
Organisations are welcome to re-apply for funding, using the eligibility checker and if they are able to address the feedback received or if there is a change in circumstances within the organisation.
Organisations which are offering a new or extended service may wish to consider the £50 million Wellbeing Fund which is designed to help charities and others who require additional capacity to work with at-risk people who may be worst affected by the crisis, including homeless people and those experiencing fuel poverty. The Fund is already supporting a wide range of third sector organisations and is now open to bids, with up to £33 million available to third sector bodies supporting people at risk in the face of Covid-19.
Organisations who registered an expression of interest before 20 April are now being invited to apply for funding. If you keep checking the (https://scvo.org/support/coronavirus/funding/for-organisations/wellbeing-fund/) as well as the Coronavirus Third Sector Bulletin. Organisations can sign up for automated notifications on the website.
