Community

Devon County Council (DCC) has temporarily re-opened the COVID-19 Fund to provide flexible resources to organisations working with communities who are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus and the social and economic consequences of the second national lockdown.

Applications opened on 9 November 2020 and will close on 2 December 2020.

Applications will need to include details of how much funding will be required and how you have assessed the need for that amount. Grants will typically be between £300 and £700, although in exceptional circumstances we may make offers of up to £1,000. We will require a report on how the money was spent and benefits to the community on completion of your project.

DCC buildings are currently closed and most staff are working from home so applications must be submitted online.

DCC aim to process applications as speedily as is possible and may need to contact you for further information. You will receive an email informing you whether your application has been successful or not, so please try to avoid contacting the team ahead of this.

What is the COVID-19 Fund?

While our healthcare systems, public health practitioners, and local and national government are doing everything in their power to slow the spread of coronavirus, our voluntary and community sector organisations and local communities are also assisting those most vulnerable during this unprecedented time.

Through the COVID-19 Fund, DCC will provide small amounts of grant funding to community-led schemes, which identify and/or achieve the small but important things that can safely address some of the issues that are arising because of this further lockdown and in particular measures to support those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

These can include:

• safe deliveries of essential goods and services to those who are vulnerable, such as foods and medicines
• support for accessing online information and services
• measures to help people to stay connected and informed and to maintain and support mental health and wellbeing
• transport-related initiatives that support safe community responses to the outbreak

Who can apply?

Applications are accepted from constituted and not-for-private-profit voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector groups and organisations, town and parish councils, charities or businesses, or a combination of such groups working together.

Please read part (a) of DCC’s guidance for more details.

How to apply

Please ensure that you have read and understood the guidance and what this funding can be used for.

Summaries of your project will suffice as there are word number limitations but do include the key information of how your project meets the purpose of this grant fund and how you have identified the size of the grant you require.

Apply now

Application terms and conditions

• I am authorised to sign on behalf of the above-named organisation and that any funding will be used to benefit the community in line with the priorities of the COVID-19 Fund and will only be used for the purposes specified in the application.
• This COVID-19 grant will be used before 31 March 2021 and any unspent/uncommitted monies will be returned to Devon County Council promptly; without proof of purchase or commitment.
• That I/we will provide Devon County Council with a statement of how the funding has benefited the organisation/local community.
• That I/we acknowledge and understand that approval of any grant relating to this application does not commit the County Council to ongoing funding.

Help and support

If you are uncertain about how to apply please contact COVID19FUND@devon.gov.uk and mark your email SUPPORT in the subject line.

Guidance

(a) Non-constituted groups without their own, separate bank account, small local businesses and individuals may apply but they will need to do so with the support of an accountable constituted organisation acting on their behalf as sponsor/guarantor and as the recipient of the grant. If you fall into this category, organisations that DCC would accept as guarantor or fund holder include:

• town or parish councils
• local community and voluntary services organisation (CVS)
• village hall
• another constituted local voluntary group that qualifies

If you are uncertain how to do this then please contact COVID19FUND@devon.gov.uk and mark your email SUPPORT in the subject line.

(b) If you are successful in getting funding for your idea/initiative, we will ask you for some feedback on how your project went within 3 months of the project being completed, and then again later if requested. We will require:

• details of how many people benefited from the project
• copies of invoices and receipts relating to the DCC grant provided
• details of the amount of any other match funding you received towards the project

Terms and conditions

Full details of the specific DCC terms and conditions relating to these grant schemes form part of the application process and require projects to accept them before any funds are released. However, there are some generic conditions which apply to all the grant schemes, which your group/organisation project needs to be aware of.

1. You must confirm on the application that your project meets the respective eligibility criteria. The grant can only be used for the purposes specified in the application.
2. Project applicants must confirm the project serves communities within the DCC administrative area of Devon, with at least 75% of the people benefiting from the project living in that area.
3. There is no automatic right to a grant, DCC will consider all applications and decide on the applications it wishes to grant fund, seeking to distribute funding in an even-handed way across the entire area of Devon it administers. DCC reserves the right not to make a funding offer to a project.
4. Grants will be awarded where they are deemed to be most needed and where they would have the greatest impact and outcomes.
5. Grants will be awarded on a one-off basis. Any grant relating to an application does not commit the County Council to ongoing future funding.
6. Applicants must accept in writing (an email or online application will suffice) the associated DCC terms and conditions before any grants can be released.
7. We would expect funds to cover, and be used, during the period of the Coronavirus emergency. This funding is not for on-going or non-Coronavirus response related activities.
8. An evaluation of how the funding has benefited the organisation/local community will be provided; in line with the relevant terms and conditions applying. This can include invoices and you may want to submit GDPR compliant photos or videos.
9. Any DCC grant-funded projects will clearly acknowledge, in any related publicity materials the Fund Scheme as a DCC initiative.
10. DCC grant-funded projects accept that DCC will issue publicity about projects and activities that it supports, so may use such projects within its publicity materials and as promotional case studies and may wish the project to evaluate further its project work and outcomes. Publicity may include digital images, video and other content you have provided if you have confirmed them to be GDPR compliant.
11. Repayment of DCC grant funds may be required at the sole discretion of Devon County Council if a funded project supplies false information, fails to spend the money in any allotted time period, fails to return evaluation materials within the agreed time period, becomes insolvent and/or there are any other breaches of the conditions or eligibility criteria.
12. DCC may request additional information and assurances; requiring additional terms and conditions to apply and will require you to confirm in writing your acceptance of any additional terms and conditions before agreeing to provide DCC grant funding. Acceptance can be in the form of an email from the charity/organisation’s contact email address provided on the application form.

The new telephone number for the Free Help Combe Martin Helpline is now live: 01271 883030.   The helpline is operated by CMPC and its hours, currently Monday to Friday from 10am until 1pm, will not change in light of the new lockdown restrictions, but will be reviewed regularly during this period.

North Devon Council has provided a Local Hardship Fund in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with financial support from Devon County Council.

The purpose of the fund is to provide support to families who are suffering immediate financial hardship directly as a result of COVID-19. It can be used to provide support with basic essential needs, such as food, personal or household items, travel for essential hospital and doctor appointments, repairs and even gas and electricity costs. It is an emergency fund which has been accessed by many people over the past six months.

During the summer, this fund was used to provide financial assistance to schools in the area who then identified and provided direct help to families and pupils most at need. The council is hoping to set up a similar arrangement for the Christmas school holidays. The fund has also been used to provide direct support to North Devon Food Bank and to fund other groups working with and supporting our local communities.

To make an application, please contact North Devon Council on 01271 388280 or email customerservices@northdevon.gov.uk.  North Devon Council is presently operating with a reduced number of staff in its Customer Contact Centre due to COVID related absences and so if you are not able to get through immediately, please be patient and try again.

With a national lockdown now in place, North Devon Council (NDC) wants to make sure that its most vulnerable customers know where to come for help.

The government and county council are writing to extremely clinically vulnerable residents giving guidance on what to do during lockdown and asking them to register on the government website so they can request support from their local council.

Working alongside local community support organisation One Northern Devon and town and parish councils, NDC is helping to co-ordinate a range of services for those most in need.  This includes:

• helping people to register on the government website
• help with grocery orders and deliveries
• collection and delivery of medication
• transport to medical and hospital appointments using local taxi form Driving Miss Daisy
• financial support for those in serious hardship
• friendly ear phonecalls to ease social isolation

Unlike last time, the government will not be sending out food parcels to the clinically vulnerable as the emphasis this time is on self-sufficiency.

To help people access these services, there is a dedicated phoneline and webform and the council is urging people to ensure that their vulnerable and elderly friends and relatives are aware how to contact the team. The number to call is 01271 388280 and the online form is on North Devon Council’s website.

Even if the council can’t help directly, it will do all it can to point people to the right agency or organisation. Before accessing this support though, residents are urged to turn to families and friends for this support in the first instance as the support relies heavily on a very over-stretched pool of volunteers.

The council is also urging people to ensure they don’t leave requests until the last minute and give them at least two working days’ notice because the service relies on volunteers and so cannot react any more quickly than that.

The support service is available Monday-Friday during normal working hours.

A government grant scheme to help local businesses that are affected the restrictions will also soon be available.

More information on the help and support available is at www.northdevon.gov.uk/coronavirus/communities-and-voluntary-sector-support .