Last night Rishi Sunak announced a support package of £750 million for the charity sector, as he defined them as our ‘social fabric’ and our ‘unsung heroes looking after the vulnerable’:
- £370 million of this funding will be for small local charities working with vulnerable people. This will be provided by the national lotteries communities fund and similar bodies.
- Of this £60 million will be provided to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through the Barnett formula.
- The government will also provide £360 million directly to charities supporting vulnerable people, with up to £200 million being made available for hospices and the rest going to charities like St Johns Ambulance, the Citizens Advice Bureau and those charities that support vulnerable children, victims of domestic violence and disabled people.
- The government will also match pound for pound the public donations to BBC’s recently announced Big Night In Charity Appeal on 23 April, pledging a minimum of £20 million.
He did say that the government would not be able to match pound for pound the funding they would have received this year, but that they are able to access many of the previously announced measures such as the Coronavirus Job retention Scheme to support them and their staff.
We will keep you updated as more information is announced on how to access this funding.
