More than 100 charities receive grants through next stage of £40m Covid Fund

Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has announced that 102 charities are to benefit from funding through the second phase of the CAF Resilience Fund it is delivering.

The Fund is worth £40m and is backed by the insurance and saving sector as well as through match funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

While the first phase focused on emergency funding to help charities survive the Covid health crisis, this latest phase will look at strengthening their resilience amid Covid recovery.

Grants of between £50,000 and £350,000 have been handed out. Charities to benefit will also receive up to £20,000 to pay for expert support.

Supporting disabled people, ethnic communities and improving the skills of young adults are the three main focuses of this latest strand of the Fund.

Charities to benefit include CareTrade Charitable Trust, Hounslow Education Business Charity and Epilepsy Action Scotland.

“Having battled through the pandemic, many charities are now taking stock and addressing how to rebuild their finances and services to move forward effectively,” said CAF chief executive Neil Heslop.

“This unique and inspiring programme supports organisations to improve their resilience for the future, while ensuring they can continue to deliver services to some of society’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

“We are delighted to be able to help them grow stronger with generous funding from the insurance and long-term savings industry and the government’s match funding.”

Charities minister Nigel Huddleston added: “I'm grateful to the Charities Aid Foundation for their fantastic work distributing Community Match Challenge funding and supporting organisations carrying out critical work.

"I look forward to seeing how the second round of the CAF Resilience Fund helps build a strong future for these important organisations."