Solihull Council has today announced a new fund in partnership with the Heart of England Community Foundation to award small grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise sector groups and organisations during the pandemic. The fund will award small grants of up to £5,000 to support ideas and proposals which will contribute to the community response to COVID-19.
Grants will be awarded to support local activity and services which focus on one or more of the following: food or fuel poverty, social isolation, physical or mental health, digital inclusion, supporting self-isolation and finally, organisational resilience and sustainability.
£200,000 will be allocated to the fund, which will be administered by Heart of England Community Foundation on SMBC’s behalf. Only not for profit and constituted groups and organisations delivering activities and services in the Solihull Borough will be eligible to apply for funding through this programme. It is anticipated that the first awards will be made to successful applicants from the start of December.
Heart of England Community Foundation has been chosen to administer the funding programme on SMBC’s behalf because of an excellent track record delivering similar grant programmes. This includes work with other local authorities and charitable donors in the region to award grants to local community organisations and groups. Throughout COVID-19 the Foundation has been very successful in getting government funding out to local voluntary and community sector groups and organisations, many based in Solihull, to support the sector’s response to the pandemic.
Councillor Alison Rolf, Cabinet Member for Stronger and Safer Communities, said:
“This fund is an excellent opportunity to help support the most vulnerable as we recover from the pandemic. The wellbeing of residents of our borough is paramount and, for many, this has taken a hit this year. This fund will provide many small grants to community groups which can help alleviate the worst of these pressures, and we’re happy to be in partnership with the Heart of England to get these funds out to those who need them quickly”.
Tina Costello, Chief Executive at the Heart of England Community Foundation, said:
“We are thrilled that SMBC have chosen to work in partnership with the foundation to deliver their Winter Well-being and Recovery Fund. The foundation already delivers programmes within the Solihull Borough so we know this funding will be vital to help support communities through the winter months. We look forward to launching the programme and working closely with SMBC to ensure the funds are distributed quickly and efficiently to support those most vulnerable.”
Find out more about the fund here.