Funder statement on Covid-19, March 2020

We, along with a wider group of funders, recognise that the covid-19 outbreak is an exceptional event that will have an impact on civil society groups, and want to offer reassurance that we stand with the sector during this time.  We wish to be as helpful as possible during the coming weeks and months so that civil society groups can focus on the vital work of supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.  We understand that there will be times when staff and volunteers will not be available, when beneficiaries may need services to be provided in different ways, or when systems need to be flexible to ensure that needs are met.

If your community, services or organisation are affected by the covid-19 outbreak, and you receive grant[1] funding from us, we are committed to:

• Adapting activities – we recognise that you may experience difficulties achieving some of the outputs or outcomes we agreed for your grant during the outbreak, and would like to be able to maintain our grant payments to you at originally-agreed levels during this period, so please have a conversation with us if you are affected in this way;
• Discussing dates – we don’t want to add pressure, so if you think you will struggle to meet a reporting deadline please get in touch with us so that we can agree a more realistic time for you to get things to us wherever possible;
• Financial flexibility – we know you may need to use your funding to help cover sickness, purchase equipment, or deliver services differently, and we will be reasonable if you need to move money between budget headings to ensure your work can continue; and
• Listening to you – we are here if you want to talk to us about the situation you’re facing, but we’ll wait for you to call us so that these conversations are at the right time for you.

We also recognise that there may be further shocks to the system caused by covid-19 that may impact on your other income streams, or require a more urgent response from funders.  Where we have any news on emergency funding we commit to publishing this on the London Funders web page below so you can see all available programmes in one place.

This statement is being coordinated by London Funders, but is not only for their members or funders in London, so if you have other funders or supporters you think would like to sign this please ask them to get in touch with the team at [email protected]

You can see the current list of funders who have committed to this statement alongside us at https://londonfunders.org.uk/about/covid-19

[1] This does not apply to commissioned services or contracts where there will be separate discussions between commissioners and provider organisations