This week twelve small, vital charities in York received grants of up to £5,000 each from The York Small Charities Fund. The Fund was set up to support local York charities keep going by funding essential running costs over the next six to twelve months as groups deal with the dire financial consequences of the double whammy of increased demand and decreased fundraising caused by the Coronavirus crisis and lockdown.
The York Small Charities Fund was set up by partners York CVS and Two Ridings Community Foundation just two months ago to respond to the critical state of the local charitable sector. Many small charities were struggling to secure funds to ‘keep their lights on’ and pay rent, salaries and other essential running costs.
The panel, including David Kerfoot, High Sheriff of North Yorkshire and five local leaders of charities operating in York, considered 22 applications totalling nearly £100,000 meaning some really difficult decisions had to be made on this essential funding.
The twelve groups supported by the York Small Charities Fund are a microcosm of the York charitable sector, with groups providing essential support to people in crisis, whether that is through family breakdowns, mental health issues, disability, alcohol related issues or bereavement. All are hyper small, largely volunteer run, facing a challenging financial future due to the drop off in fundraising and limited alternative sources of grant funding, yet without whom people would experience a significant loss of critical support, which they all provide.
- York Family Mediation Service: Funding for staff and overheads, to provide family mediation, having lost most of their income for five months.
- Mainstay: Funding for rent, insurance, staff and expenses to continue supporting people with mental ill health while their offices have been closed.
- York Women’s Counselling Service: Funding for salaries and rent, in a time when donations have been hugely reduced but demand has gone up, for affordable (or free) professional counselling for women.
- York & District Riding for the Disabled: Funding for feed for ponies to ensure that lessons can restart to benefit the disabled participants when income is significantly down but costs still must be met.
- Beetle Bank Social Farm: Funding for staff, volunteer expenses, tools and sundries to allow safe continuation of services for people with dementia, while reducing service user numbers per session to increase safety, which impacts income.
- Next Door But One: Funding for staff, volunteer costs and equipment to make changes to delivery to become more sustainable.
- York Alcohol Forum: Funding for rent, as well as handbooks, literature and other resources.
- Biomation Productions C.I.C Funding for running costs to continue running therapeutic and creative music projects for young people.
- Kyra Women’s Project: Funding for extra staffing hours to support volunteers, while the organisation is meeting higher demand with lower income.
- York Polish Organisation: Funding for rent, salaries, trips and advertising; needed as the group suffering loss of income.
- York Hotshots Funding to be able to continue classes for physical and mental health in a deprived area of York.
- St Michael’s York Trust: Funding for costs counselling service running, when income has much reduced.
David Kerfoot, High Sheriff of North Yorkshire:
“I am extremely proud to have been supporting this campaign as High Sheriff of North Yorkshire. So many of our small charities have been severely affected as a result of the pandemic, and without the efforts of York CVS & Two Ridings Community Foundation, the knock-on effect due to lack of funding would have been devastating to so many. A great result so far!”
Justin Mazzotta Co Director: Beetle Bank Social Farm, for people living with dementia:
“The York Small Charities fund has given us some breathing space and considerably increased our chances of survival during the pandemic. Because of this, for the next six months we will be able to operate safely in response to coronavirus and replace lost revenue”.
Alison Semmence, Chief Executive of York CVS:
“It has been a privilege to be in a position to support so many local voluntary groups and charities to ensure their survival during these difficult times. The funds we have distributed will make a difference to the lives of the people these groups support.”
These 12 awards, totalling £51,000 brings the amount distributed by Two Ridings in response to Coronavirus since March 2020 to £1.75m. Since the end of March grants provided by Two Ridings have allowed groups to respond in the immediate lockdown period to help keep people fed, safe, well and connected, adapt services to vulnerable users so that support can still be provided even if self-isolating and now allow key local groups to sustain themselves financially whilst other sources of funding from fundraising events or activities have dried up.
Jan Garrill, Chief Executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation:
“I am pleased that Two Ridings can play its part in keeping the lights on for 12 such remarkable groups. I know that the next few months are critical and we are determined, with the support of our donors, to continue to help local groups with this type of funding”.
Whilst the York Small Charities Fund is now closed the Coronavirus Community Fund, also managed by Two Ridings Community Foundation, is open for applications from local charitable organisations operating in North & East Yorkshire. To apply visit https://www.tworidingscf.org.uk/fund/coronavirus-community-fund/
If you can make a donation and would like to give directly to you can do so via the Two Ridings Coronavirus Community Fund https://www.tworidingscf.org.uk/donate/
Recent surveys of charities, both nationally and locally in our area, indicate that the next few months will be critical for the long term survival of many charities. Over 5,400 job losses have already been announced in the charity sector since the start of the pandemic, but many experts predict this is just the tip of the iceberg. One leading charity think-tank, Pro Bono Economics, predicts that another 34,100 charity sector employees may have lost their jobs by the end of the year and 58% of charities expect demand for their services to increase over the next six months. Locally, a survey of charities across North Yorkshire, York and the Humber area indicated that 57% of local charities had experienced a drop in income, and 41% were concerned about their survival beyond the next few months.
