Covid-19 Information Grants

Our final How to Apply workshop is on Monday 8 March, 11am - 12.15pm. Book your place here

Or book a one to one session here with our Head of Organisational Development

Has the community you work with been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic?
Could your organisation act as a trusted source of public health information?

Aim of the grant programme

The aim of the grant programme is to help keep local people safe, by making sure that everyone has access to accurate and up to date public health information.

This includes information about how to get a test at home or at a testing centre, and what to do if a test result is positive. It also includes accurate and up to date information about the Covid-19 vaccines.

Grant holders will use their communication channels, outreach and ongoing engagement and service delivery work to keep people informed.

Grant holders will also help to protect community members from scams by identifying what official contact looks like and will ensure that any scams or any concerns regarding misinformation are fed back to Public Health in order that they can respond.

Grants are prioritised for organisations working with communities disproportionately affected by Covid-19, or where there are barriers to understanding Public Health information.

Priority communities

After Round 1, there are some gaps in provision, which we are keen to address in Round 2. In particular, we are keen to fund organisations working with:

People from Black African heritage communities
People from Black Caribbean heritage communities
People from Bangladeshi communities
People with sensory disabilities
People with learning disabilities

Applications for projects serving other communities are also welcome.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Covid-19 Information Grant, your organisation must:

Work in Hackney and/or the City of London with Hackney and/or City of London residents
Have a formal constitution or governing document and be constituted to be not-for-profit
Have been operating for at least one financial year
Have had a turnover of less than £1,000,000 in its last financial year or provide significant services to people most affected by Covid-19

Types of grant

Projects are expected to last for nine months. Grants are available in two streams:

Messenger grants of up to £7,500. Messenger grant holders will disseminate information to their communities.
Contact Point grants of up to £15,000. In addition to Messenger grant activities, Contact Point grant holders will work more closely with the Public Health team to identify and feed back issues arising in the community (such as misinformation circulating).

Training

Alongside the grant programme is a training scheme run by Volunteer Centre Hackney to support staff and volunteers to become community experts.

Information for applicants

Organisations will be able to select from a menu of activities within each grant programme
They will need to demonstrate that they have a track record of reach into the community they propose to work with
Participation in the VCH training programme and in Public Health feedback forums would be expected to be part of the programme
Grants will be for 9 months

Support

Workshops
We are running 'How to Apply' online workshops to support groups to make their applications.

Thursday 11 February 2.30-4pm >Book here
Tuesday 23 February 3pm-4.30pm > Book here
Monday 8 March 11am-12.15pm > Book here

One-to-one support – comment on drafts
For comments and feedback on your individual grant application, please contact advice@hcvs.org.uk. You must allow 5 working days for the draft to get back to you.

Application form and guidance

Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11am on Thursday 11 March. Please send your completed application form in Word format via email to info@hackneygiving.org.uk

Late applications will not be considered.