Deadline: 16-Oct-20
The Women’s Sector Resilience Fund has been created with the support of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to safeguard the vital frontline jobs and support services of women’s organizations that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in England.
Aims
- Grants to support organizations providing services and support for vulnerable women, for which there is increased demand as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
- Grants to support organizations supporting women who experience disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
- Grants to support organizations which connect communities and support communities to work together to respond to Covid-19.
Area of Benefits
Funding is open for organizations across England but will be prioritized for women’s sector organizations and services where the pandemic has had most impact including:
- Greater Manchester and Lancashire;
- Liverpool and Merseyside;
- West Midlands – Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent and rural Staffordshire;
- East Midlands, including rural Leicestershire and Derbyshire;
- Hull and Humberside, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield;
- Deprived coastal towns and areas such as Blackpool, Hastings and Kent;
- Newcastle, Middlesbrough/Tees Valley, other North East areas;
- London boroughs such as Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets.
- In particular, working with key client groups:
- BAME women;
- Women with disabilities;
- LGBT+ women who are financially vulnerable.
- And:
- Women who have experienced domestic violence, economic abuse or sexual abuse;
- Economically inactive young women;
- Carers and those who have been working in the caring professions;
- Single parent families;
- Women who experience depression, anxiety and other mental health needs;
- Women leaving the criminal justice system.
Funding Information
- Between £20,000 – £30,000 to be spent by 31st March 2021
- Funds can be used to pay for:
- Staff salaries;
- Project running costs;
- Running costs/overheads;
- Goods and equipment which would not be capitalized (e.g. to develop enhanced physical environment and continue to deliver services).
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants can apply if they meet the following:
- Are a charity, social enterprise or other not-for-profit organization. Unincorporated organizations can apply but must have a governing document or constitution.
- Organizations with a track record of supporting women including frontline organizations and services. National or regional women’s organizations that provide capacity building, networking and support to frontline organizations will also be eligible to apply.
- Have a clear mission/track record that is aligned to the Fund outcomes.
- Must have an income of £1 million or under and ask to apply for a grant amount that is proportionate to the size of organization.
- Are well managed with clear governance structures.
- Have robust financial procedures in place and are a going concern.
- Are led by experienced trustees and staff.
- Have a written governing document or constitution e.g. articles of association, set of rules.
- Have a governing body with at least 3 unrelated members.
- Have a UK-based bank or building society account in the name of organization.
- Bank or building society account has at least 2 unrelated signatories.
- Have an appropriate safeguarding policy and other organizational policies in place.
Non-eligible Costs
- Payment that supports lobbying or activity intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, Government or political parties, or attempting to influence the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action;
- Using grant funding to petition for additional funding; Women’s Sector Resilience Fund – Guidance Notes 3;
- Input VAT reclaimable by organization/applicant from HMRC;
- Payments for activities of a political or exclusively religious nature;
- Payments to carry out long term research;
- Goods or services that you have a statutory duty to provide;
- Payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector grants;
- Contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money);
- Depreciation, amortization or impairment of fixed assets;
- The acquisition or improvement of fixed assets (unless the grant is explicitly for capital use – this will be stipulated in the grant agreement);
- Interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases);
- Gifts to individuals other than promotional items with a value of no more than £25 a year to any one individual;
- Entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations);
- Statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties;
- Liabilities incurred before the issue of this funding agreement unless agreed in writing by the Smallwood Trust;
- Use in respect of costs reimbursed or to be reimbursed by funding from any other source;
- Use to purchase buildings or land.
Organizations will be able to apply if:
- They are supporting women who experience disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the Covid-19 crisis;
- They are providing services and support for vulnerable women, for which there will be increased demand as a result of the Covid-19 crisis;
- They are connecting communities and support communities to work together to respond to Covid-19.
Application process and terms and conditions
- All applicants are expected to demonstrate how their proposal meets the Trust’s mission and intended beneficiary outcomes.
- All applicants are requested to use the Fund application form.
- Successful projects may have the opportunity to subsequently apply for Smallwood Trust match funding.
- All applications are reviewed by the Chief Executive and Head of Evaluation. Further information may be requested and you may also be requested to attend a telephone meeting to discuss your proposals in more detail.
- All final decisions will be approved by the Trustee body of the Smallwood Trust.
- If successful, you will be provided with a monitoring and evaluation template, training and guidance and expected to report on a regular basis, to be defined in the grant agreement. Grants will be paid in instalments.
- If successful you will be expected to comply with The Smallwood Trust terms and conditions. These can be downloaded via our website on the Fund page.
For more information, visit https://www.smallwoodtrust.org.uk/organisations