The government has pledged to match fund up to £85m worth of fundraising for charities until the end of August.

Money raised through selected charity campaigns will be matched through the initiative, called Community Match Challenge, which launched on 18 July.

Those running coronavirus campaigns, including funders, foundation trusts and philanthropists are being invited to apply for the match funding.

“Since Covid hit, the British people, businesses and philanthropists have stepped up and fundraised hundreds of millions of pounds to support the most vulnerable in our communities,” said culture secretary Oliver Dowden.

“We're now launching a Community Match Challenge as part of our multi-billion-pound package of support for our brilliant charity sector. The government will match pound for pound what is raised by others to double the generosity of others.”

The government has confirmed that the £85m match funding pledge is part of the £750m funding pot announced by the Chancellor in April.

Support has also included a £200m emergency government funding pot for small charities. But the National Lottery Community Fund, which is distributing the money, admitted earlier this month that less than 5% had been handed out.

https://www.charitytimes.com/ct/Less-than-5pc-of-Covid19-small-charities-funding-pot-distributed.php

This latest funding pledge comes as latest research suggests that some of the UK’s largest charities will still face massive losses this year even with government help.

The research from New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) found that even with funding on offer, the government’s furlough scheme and measures such as redundancies, charities are facing a major funding gap.

Regional hubs

In addition to the match funding announcement, the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP) will receive £4.8m from the government to fund regional hubs to coordinate local volunteers and resources. The VCSEP was set up to improve natoinal and local coordination during and after emergencies.

Mike Adamson, VCSEP chair and British Red Cross chief executive said: “Over the coming months we will be setting up systems to improve coordination across our sector, capture unmet needs as a result of emergencies, and match and coordinate volunteer demand and supply.

“The money we have secured will go a long way in helping us to achieve our ambitions and establish a legacy for responding to future emergencies.”

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