Second Phase of Support Announced By Merton Giving
Coronavirus fund providing financial aid to local charities in need
Merton Giving continues to support the local community through Phase 2 of the Merton Giving Coronavirus Fund – Response, Resilience and Recovery.
Merton Giving has launched a second phase of funding support for local charitable organisations through the Merton Giving Coronavirus Fund with a focus on Response, Resilience and Recovery.
The fund, for which applications are now open, is designed to support organisations working locally to benefit Merton residents with an opening fund total of £200,000 with donations from founding donors including Merton Council, Wimbledon Foundation and Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, who has pledged a donation through the Clarion Merton Community Panel and Clarion Futures Communities. The fund will also include 5 years of financial support from the CCG 2020 – 2025 Legacy Fund.
This is the second phase of grant funding made available since the Covid-19 pandemic and follows the first phase which, over a period of 6 months, awarded £210,000 to over 70 local charitable organisations impacted by Covid-19 the benefit of which reached at least 6,500 residents according to Merton Giving..
Each of the funders has specific requirements in relation to the allocation of their funds and themes have therefore been introduced for applications. The themes are;
• Supporting those facing Disproportionate Impact
Organisations supporting people and communities who experience disproportionate impact and difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Supporting our Vulnerable Residents
Organisations providing services and support for vulnerable people, for which there will be increased demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Connecting our Communities
Organisations which connect communities and support communities to work together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diana Sterck, Chair of Merton Giving said, “Merton Giving moved quickly and efficiently to ensure that grant funding was made available to support local organisations as the pandemic hit. We are appreciative that our founding donors have seen the value in our collaborative funding approach and have committed to making further generous donations which will enable us to support more local charitable organisations and residents.”
The Merton Giving Coronavirus Fund is administered by founding partner Merton Voluntary Service Council (MVSC). The grant funding team will continue to work to make decisions and allocate funding as quickly as possible to provide Merton organisations with financial support. Full details regarding the Fund, including guidance, how to apply and to submit an application can be found here.
Merton Giving is a charitable partnership between Merton Chamber of Commerce and Merton Voluntary Services Council, supported by Merton Council. Launched in 2018 to provide a focal point for local giving Merton Giving encourages people and businesses to give money, time or in-kind support. To date, Merton Giving has allocated three rounds of grant funding distributing over £240,000 to over 100 charitable organisations working locally. These small grants provided for local charities have an enormous impact for borough residents.
Full details including guidance, how to apply and to submit an application can be found on this link.
November 23, 2020