Community grants scheme launches Covid-19 response

The ESF Community Grant Programme, which works to fund employability support for those facing barriers in the workplace, has launched a targeted grant programme in response to Covid-19.

This community grant funding round, Re-Connect, seeks applications from a wide range of voluntary organisations who are ready to reach out by using approaches which tackle the new and emerging barriers arising from the impact of Covid-19.

Small grants of up to £20,000 are available across Greater Manchester to eligible organisations in the VCSE sector

Projects should look to develop and maintain participant connections to learning experiences. Project activity should support, maintain and improve participant employability and resilience.

All project activity must be within the current government Covid-19 restrictions, but should include flexibility to adapt as and when those restrictions change in future months

The funding can help all who are out of work or economically inactive but especially those that:

• Are homeless or at risk of being homeless
• Have low or no qualification
• Lack literacy and numeracy skills
• Are lone parents
• Have disabilities, learning difficulties or health conditions
• Are from ethnic minorities
• Are aged over 50
• Young NEET people [aged 16 and above]

This programme covers the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, and all eligible participants must live in Greater Manchester.

To apply organisations must meet the organisational eligibility criteria below. Please note that these criteria differ from Rounds 1 to 3 of GM ESF Community Grants Programme

• Are you a Third sector organisation run on a not for profit basis? I.e. Constituted Voluntary / Community Group, Social Enterprise (Not For Profit), Registered Charity, Community Interest Company (CIC), Company Limited by Guarantee. Please note that Private Companies Ltd by Shares cannot apply – if you are not sure on your organisational status or your constitution/governing document please speak to the ESF Grants Team before submitting your application for further guidance.
• Do you have an annual turnover equal to or under £5,000,000?
• Do you employ no more than  49 full time equivalent employees?
• Has your organisation been in operation for a min of 12 months?
• Does your organisation have a Governing Document/Constitution?
• Does your organisation have an Independent Bank Account into which the grant can be paid?
• Are you not already in direct receipt of funding from the European Social Fund, or other ESF co-financing with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), or National Offender Management Service (NOMS)?
• You do not have an active grant agreement for Rounds 1, 2 or 3 of ESF Community Grants
• Are you applying for funding to work with unemployed & economically inactive people?
• Are the people you plan to work with at least 16 years old?
• Is your proposed activity taking place within Greater Manchester?
• Project start date must be on or after 1^st August  2020 and all activity must be completed by 31^st May 2021.

Organisations which can answer yes to all the above questions are eligible to apply for Covid-19 funding through the Re-Connect ESF Community Grant programme.

Application forms, guidance notes and further FAQs are available from the scheme’s website, and the deadline for application submissions is Wednesday 3rd June 2020.

Online workshops will be running in the week commencing 18th May, and anyone wishing to attend should email the ESF grants team for a webinar invite.