Real Help for Communities

'Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises' is a new action plan released by the Government which outlines £42.5m of support for the third sector to help cope with the current economic climate.

The funding is broken down into a range of elements which will help address the specific areas of need that have arisen due to the recession.

The Government have based the need for the funding on key principles such as improving equality, social mobility, directing resources at frontline services and encourages third sector organisations to work together.

The money is broadly broken down as follows:

• Up to £10 million investment in a volunteer brokerage scheme for unemployed people. This will create over 40,000 opportunities for people to learn new skills and give back to communities through volunteering. – From April 2009
• A £15.5 million Community Resilience Fund will provide grant funding to small and medium providers in communities most at risk of increased deprivation due to the recession. This is in addition to the £130 million already committed to the Grassroots Grants programme meaning more small grants to more community groups – Available from April 2009
• A £16.5 million modernisation fund to support viable third sector organisations to access specialist services in order to restructure and become more resilient and efficient in the recession. Funding for organisations available from summer 2009
• £0.5 million investment in the School for Social Entrepreneurs to expand its action-learning programme to support social entrepreneurs

You can access the full funding guidance here.

Some key milestones for the funding were also released and they can be seen here.

The deadlines are pretty tight with most of the funding available from April 2009.