Causeway Coast and Glens District Council: COVID-19 Community Support Fund

Overview

All organisations funded through the COVID-19 Community Support Fund must demonstrate how their project contributes towards addressing the issues in their area. Your project must be in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and must provide community actions in response to the pandemic.

DfC has advised that the funding must support actions in line with the following interventions:

• Financial - to those on low income and at risk due to financial stress.
• Food - access to food (whether due to cost or availability) for those most in need.
• Connectivity - to those living alone or in in rural and border areas that are likely to experience greater challenges in accessing services.’

Please Note: Council is in receipt of other funding programmes for local community and voluntary groups which are currently open for applications ie Food & Essential Supplies Fund and Warm Well & Connected Fund (for eligible areas of disadvantage). Organisations intending to apply for food related costs should in the first instance apply to the Food & Essential Supplies Fund (FESF), however if you have already secured and expended a grant through the FESF and you can demonstrate a need for your project, then you can apply for food related costs through the Covid-19 Community Support Fund. The Warm Well & Connected Fund will support activities that address fuel poverty, tackle loneliness and isolation or promote good mental health and well-being in eligible areas of deprivation. Organisations that have availed of a grant through the WWC Fund can also apply for the Covid-19 CSF as long as it is for a different project or additional evidenced need.

Priorities of the Fund

Projects must demonstrate how they address the fund priorities:

• Reduce isolation and vulnerability of residents of the Borough, particularly those living alone and those living in rural areas
• Address financial need / poverty as a result of Covid-19
• Support ongoing needs of vulnerable people to make sure their ongoing wellbeing is maintained
• Direct support to those most at risk as a result of the threat of coronavirus
• Ensure vulnerable people remain connected to the outside world

Funding Available

Local community/voluntary sector organisations can apply for grants of up to 100% of costs up to £4,000.

The total amount of funding available in this third tranche of Community Support Fund from Department for Communities is £187,737. Only those applications which provide an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be considered.

They expect a high number of applications to the fund. Council will review the number of applications received and the number of awards being made on a daily basis. The fund will close as soon as the available funds are allocated.

Council reserve the right to close the fund at short notice. If you are receiving support from another funder for your COVID-19 response project you must declare this in the application.

Who Can Apply?

Properly constituted Community & Voluntary Organisations with their own bank account are invited to apply. If you are not a constituted group you can link with a constituted group in your area who can apply on your behalf or can apply for a grant on your behalf as a part 2 to their own application. (Question 4b in the application form facilitates provision of details). The constituted group will receive the award has financial responsibility for the audit process.

Applicants must provide a Vulnerable Adults Safeguarding Policy / Policy Statement, a list of committee members, a copy of your most recent accounts or a recent bank statement and a signed copy of your constitution. If you do not have a full Safeguarding Policy in place as yet, as a temporary measure, to enable you to submit an application you may submit a signed policy statement showing your intention to keep adults safe in the activities that you will be undertaking as part of your Covid-19 project. (KAS Adult Safeguarding Policy Statement Template available as Appendix 2).

For eligibility organisations must:

• Be based in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council area or be delivering a project targeting residents in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council area.
• Have a constitution / governing document that has been adopted at a public meeting showing clearly defined purposes that are for the public benefit in line with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.
• Be committed to Equal Opportunities in terms of organisational policies and the delivery of services to those being served or represented.
• Be non-party political and open to the full range of local opinion
• Be able to demonstrate a fair and equitable ethos through established aims and objectives in accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998).
• Have appropriate and adequate insurance cover for all activities and all actions proceeding such as costs, claims, demands and liabilities whatsoever, arising from all or any of the group activities. To also ensure that any individuals or organisations worked with are properly insured.
• Ensure that all group activities abide by the law and that the necessary permissions are obtained for activities from the appropriate body/authority.
• Ensure that Child Protection Policy / Vulnerable Adults Policy and Procedures are in place and adhered to as and where appropriate.
• Have a bank/building society account and keep a proper record of group accounts.
• Be able to produce an annual statement of independently audited or certified accounts, or be able to present a bank statement in the case of newly established groups.
• Agree to Causeway Coast and Glens Council's promotion, monitoring, evaluation, and training procedures as required.

What can be funded?

Applicants can apply for grants of up to 100% of costs up to a maximum of £4,000 towards project costs.

Example expenditure includes:

• Co-ordination / Running costs for organisations to provide Covid-19 response / support including volunteer costs associated with the activity
• Purchase and delivery of groceries/food hampers and other essential items such as hygiene products (Organisations should in the first instance link with established food banks and Fareshare for provision of emergency food)
• Provision of meals - purchase of food, ingredients, containers etc
• Fuel poverty supports (oil stamps, electric and gas top ups etc) as long as a process to establish need is in place
• Digital devices and wifi vouchers or equipment (organisations can purchase equipment for their own online activities or to loan to members of the community in need as long as the organisation retains ownership of the asset and maintains an asset register (template can be provided)
• Activity packs, wellbeing packs
• Safe exercise activities
• Telephone service / regular telephone calls for vulnerable, isolated, elderly or those selfisolating
• Advertising, printing and promotion
• Small capital costs are eligible but the applicant must demonstrate how these items address the priorities of the fund.

For full detals see the guidelines