2 November 2020
Peter Sowerby Foundation – Increasing Access Fund
New one-off funding to support charities to develop new or adapt existing services that respond to the COVID-19 situation to meet local and national needs.
The Peter Sowerby Foundation has issued an Open Call for applications to its new £1.4 million Increasing Access Fund.
The Fund is aimed specifically at ensuring or increasing access to key services and activities for beneficiaries who have struggled with access due to coronavirus/COVID-19, for example, due to lockdown measures or the fact that existing charitable services are unable to be delivered in a COVID-secure way.
The Fund will support charities to digitally enable access to services, or to adapt their delivery of existing services to comply with social distancing or other COVID-response measures.
Grants are being made available to organisations nationally, working within the Foundation’s key domains:
- Healthcare Innovation – organisations in the fields of disability, medical research, mental health and those supporting individuals with long-term health conditions.
- Community – organisations working with young people, especially those considered disadvantaged, delivering support to those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and/or those working to support isolated older people.
- Environment – organisations working in the area of horticulture and conservation which have been significantly financially impacted by the closure of venues.
- Arts – organisations working in the area of arts, health and well-being where services and programmes are being adapted to benefit communities impacted by COVID-19.
The programme is split into three distinct funding streams:
- Digital Breakthrough Grants to pilot new innovations or service delivery – the Foundation will fund five large grants of up to £100,000 to support charities (with a maximum turnover of £5 million) in the area of innovation and transformation in health and social care through digital service delivery.
- Digital Good Causes – a fund for grants of up to £25,000 (for organisations with a turnover of around £500,000) seeking to transform or adapt new services digitally.
- Adapted Good Causes – a fund for grants of up to £25,000 (for organisations with a turnover of around £500,000) to pilot, test or launch new services in light of the COVID-19 situation.
The fund may close before the deadline as the Foundation expects the fund to be highly competitive.
The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 16 November 2020 (5pm).