Question reference: S5W-28037
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 23 March 2020
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Current status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 14 April 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it will provide to third sector organisations that experience a substantial decline in fundraising income due to the cancellation of large-scale income-generating events as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer
On 18 March the Scottish Government announced that an additional £350 million would be made available to those most affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As part of this a £20 million Third Sector Resilience fund has been established to provide support to charities, social enterprises and enterprising third sector organisations to help cope with cash flow and business health and to enable them to deliver vital services and perform their crucial role across their communities through this difficult time. The fund launched on 25 March 2020 and the first payments were made within the first week.
The Fund is being delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and the Corra Foundation and will provide grants between £5,000-£100,000. In addition there will be up to a further £5m available in fully flexible, 0% interest loans starting at £50,000. An online eligibility checker to help organisations assess their suitability for the fund ensures access to the right support and application form depending on their funding needs. Information can be found at https://scvo.org/support/coronavirus/funding/for-organisations/third-sector-resilience-fund/
Information on other funds available, including a £40 million Supporting Communities Fund and a £50 million Wellbeing Fund can be found at https://scvo.org/support/coronavirus/funding/for-organisations/scottish-government