A partnership of funding organisations in Buckinghamshire has been supporting communities addressing the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, distributing emergency funding since March 2020.
This strategic funding group is delighted to announce that they have now distributed over £1 million in grants to support local volunteering organisations, community groups, charities and individuals during this time of crisis.
The group, including Buckinghamshire Council, Heart of Bucks, The Clare Foundation, The Rothschild Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund and Leap, have given out hundreds of small grants to support a range of local initiatives, including food bank provision, support for the elderly and isolated, increased mental health care and support for victims of domestic violence.
The group will continue to maximise funding opportunities for the many projects and activities that local community organisations and charities have set up in response to the pandemic and will now be shifting the emphasis of their funding to help the sector stabilise and recover.
The Clare Foundation has played a key role in the board through strategic guidance; provision of seed funding to organisations such as Lindengate and Aylesbury Kindness Wave; both a funder of and a shaper of the Capacity Recovery Fund – a partnership between Heart of Bucks, Rothschild Foundation and The Clare Foundation. We have also been key to tracking and reporting on funding trends as they emerged during the crisis both geographically and thematically. This has ensured that all partners were able to respond rapidly to emerging needs.
Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities said, “Through this funding partnership, we are able to prioritise areas of greatest need across the county, informed by our teams in the community and from Public Health. Thanks to this partnership, we have been able to distribute these grants in a coordinated and focused manner. This has ensured the best possible support to those fantastic voluntary and community groups who have been delivering on the ground throughout this challenging period”.
“At The Clare Foundation we are delighted that we were able to contribute to both organisations and people in Buckinghamshire during the Coronavirus Pandemic, through the collective funding and oversight of the Funding Task Group we were able to help charities and organisations both pivot and repurpose. We look forward to working with sector colleagues and Buckinghamshire Council during the Recovery and Restoration phases”. Mike Clare, Founder & Chairman
