COVID-19 funding under £10,000 – including Coronavirus Community Support Fund

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The Government allocation to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund (CCSF) has now closed for England
We’ve closed the Government allocation of funding to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund to new applications and should be finished distributing these funds by the end of October 2020.

You can still apply for National Lottery funding to help your community through COVID-19
With the COVID-19 pandemic still with us, we'll continue to support people and communities most adversely impacted by COVID-19.

Find out more about our COVID-19 funding for projects under £10,000.

Area
England
Suitable for
Voluntary or community organisations
Funding size
£300 to £10,000
Application deadline

Closed to new applications

Apply

The Government allocation to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund (CCSF) has now closed for England
We’ve closed the Government allocation of funding to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund to new applications and should be finished distributing these funds by the end of October 2020.

You can still apply for National Lottery funding to help your community through COVID-19
With the COVID-19 pandemic still with us, we'll continue to support people and communities most adversely impacted by COVID-19.

Find out more about our COVID-19 funding for projects under £10,000.

We're also working with specialist partners to reach specific groups as quickly as we can.

Who can and cannot apply

You can find this information in British Sign Language (BSL) at the bottom of this page.

Who can and cannot apply?

You can only apply once for COVID-19 emergency funding in England, either for less than £10,000, over £10,000 or over £10,000 for partnerships. So please make sure that you’re applying for what you need.

You can apply if you already have existing grants with The National Lottery Community Fund, including a National Lottery Awards for All grant in each country in the UK. If you've already got COVID-19 funding through National Lottery Awards for All, you'll need to tell us how the funding you're applying for now is different from that.

We also encourage organisations to apply who are led by people with lived experience.

Who we cannot accept applications from:

  • organisations that have already applied to us for COVID-19 funding, including the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, since 22 May
  • organisations that have already applied to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund and been told they were unsuccessful
  • organisations that agreed to transfer their National Lottery Awards for All application to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund
  • statutory bodies
  • schools
  • individuals
  • sole traders
  • Companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including Companies Limited by Shares)
  • organisations based outside the UK
  • organisations that don't have at least two people on their board or committee who aren't married, in a civil partnership, in a long-term relationship, living together at the same address, or related by blood
  • one organisation applying on behalf of another. Be careful of businesses or consultants who say they can support you with your funding applications. They might even say they’re acting on the Fund’s behalf, or they’re a preferred supplier of the Fund. They could even offer to write an application for you. We wouldn’t accept applications from these types of businesses or consultants. But you can get support and advice on writing your application from your local CVS (your local council for voluntary services).

You can apply if your organisation is a:

  • voluntary or community organisation
  • registered charity
  • constituted group or club
  • not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company.

If you’re not sure if you can apply

Contact us.

You can also watch this video to get the above information in British Sign Language (BSL) for those who are hard of hearing:

The projects we fund

You can find this information in British Sign Language (BSL) at the bottom of this page.

What we can fund

We can fund activities supporting people and communities affected by COVID-19. We can also help organisations overcome any acute financial difficulties they face as a result of the pandemic.

What types of projects we’re prioritising

We want to support projects and organisations playing a vital role in helping their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will prioritise:

  • Organisations supporting people and communities who experience disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis

    This category includes, for instance, organisations supporting older people, disabled people (including people with long-term health conditions) and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, all of whom are facing specific challenges during the current crisis. It also includes organisations who provide advice and support to those pushed in crisis as a result of the pandemic. This category also includes those organisations supporting people and their families with end of life care.

  • Organisations providing services and support for vulnerable people, for which there will be increased demand as a result of the COVID-19 crisis
    This category includes, for instance, organisations supporting people and families who face financial hardship as a result of the pandemic. It also includes organisations working to prevent domestic abuse and violence against protected groups, those working with homeless people and those supporting vulnerable children and young people. Finally, we also know that there is increased demand for mental health support and support to mitigate the increased challenges of loneliness and isolation.

  • Organisations which connect communities and support communities to work together to respond to COVID-19
    This category includes organisations supporting local community activity, including volunteering, and community organising. It also includes organisations supporting community and sector infrastructure, including public information. We know there is increased demand for support with the development of digital, data and technology capabilities. Finally, we want to support building capacity and infrastructure of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and other marginalised communities to ensure they are in a better position after the initial emergency response.

We know that small and medium-sized charities are likely to be more vulnerable right now. So we encourage applications from those organisations, including micro charities.

Your organisation should involve your community

We know that some communities, such as disabled people and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are being hit hard by the pandemic. We encourage organisations to apply who are led by people from those communities.

We believe that people understand what's needed in their communities better than anyone. So it’s important to us that you involve your community in the design, development and delivery of the activities you’re planning.

This short video explains it well. It might be helpful when you’re putting your application together.

There might be other types of funding for you

If you’ve read through this page and feel like this funding isn’t quite right for your project - have a look on our website to find other funders in the National Lottery family

If your project works with children, young people or vulnerable adults

You need to have a policy in place that explains how they'll be safe. And we might ask to see this policy, if we decide to give you funding. The NSPCC have lots of helpful advice about setting up and following good child safeguarding policies. NCVO also host a number of safeguarding resources. If we do fund your organisation, you must comply with our safeguarding policy.

Projects that need insurance, qualifications or affiliations to a governing body

Depending on what you want to do, your project might need:

  • public liability insurance
  • leaders or instructors with special qualifications
  • an affiliation to a governing body.

You can ask us to cover these costs when you apply for funding (see what else you can spend the money on).

If you're not sure about the sort of projects we fund

Have a look at what we've funded previously. And you can always contact us too.

You can also watch this video to get the above information in British Sign Language (BSL) for those who are hard of hearing:

What you can spend the money on

You can find this information in British Sign Language (BSL) at the bottom of this page.

What can you spend money on?

We can fund activities supporting people and communities affected by COVID-19. We can also help organisations overcome any acute financial difficulties they face as a result of the pandemic.

This list doesn't include everything. So, if you're not sure, contact us.

We can fund:

  • your organisation’s running costs
  • essential items for food banks
  • small land or refurbishment projects that can be delivered within Government guidelines (but make sure you own the land or building, have a lease that can't be ended for five years, have a letter from the owner saying the land or building will be leased to you for at least five years, or an official letter from the owner or landlord that says you're allowed to do work on the building) - you should also think about getting planning permission for the work too
  • equipment
  • one-off events
  • staff costs
  • training costs
  • transport
  • utilities/running costs
  • volunteer expenses.

We encourage you to think about any organisational costs needed to help you and your community through the current crisis.

We can’t fund:

  • alcohol
  • contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest
  • profit-making/fundraising activities
  • VAT you can reclaim
  • statutory activities
  • overseas travel
  • campaigning activities (this fund is to support the delivery of direct services for vulnerable people)
  • religious activities (we can fund religious organisations if their project benefits the wider community and doesn’t include religious content)
  • political or lobbying activities.

Managing your emergency COVID-19 funding in England - including Coronavirus Community Support Fund grants
If your organisation’s awarded emergency COVID-19 funding in England, including from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, you'll need to manage your funding a bit differently. Read more about what to expect with managing your emergency COVID-19 funding in England.

You can also watch this video to get the above information in British Sign Language (BSL) for those who are hard of hearing: