Thursday 10 December 2020
Earlier this year, the newly formed Social Investment Fund (SIF) launched the COVID-19 Community Charity Appeal to support charities which have been badly affected by the pandemic and which have provided support to the community during the crisis.
The Appeal has been incredibly successful, with £400,782.02 raised by generous public donations from individuals, businesses and charitable trusts.
SIF made a commitment to match fund the total amount raised from the public with its own funds if needed. So far, over £450,000 has been distributed to a wide range of charitable organisations, filling serious gaps in funding for many charities, and providing funds for additional services to several that were involved in the front line response to the pandemic.
One of the largest grants awarded by the Appeal was to Safer, for £24,879, towards the costs of an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor to provide additional support as a result of increased domestic abuse victims during lockdown. We were pleased to share the total amount needed by Safer with the Lloyds Bank Foundation of the Channel Islands. Working together with other funders is positive for the charities.
The Guernsey Sports Commission was awarded £25,000 towards a Sports Recovery Fund which benefited several sporting organisations hit hard by the pandemic.
Some charities received funding for new initiatives during lockdown, such as Men's Shed Guernsey which ran 'Shedcast' sessions for its members to reduce isolation, Les Cotils for its 'Food for Families' initiative and the partnership project 'Stay Connected' which enabled older and vulnerable people to keep in touch with family and services during lockdown.
Several organisations were awarded grants which, along with supporting loss of income, provided additional funding for PPE and other equipment needed for Covid-19. These included Choices, the Cheshire Home, St John Ambulance Guernsey and Citizens Advice Guernsey. All of these organisations needed to keep running during lockdown, providing key services to the community.
Support was not just provided to Guernsey charities: Alderney Wildlife Trust, Alderney Cinema Club, Alderney Bird Observatory and Alderney Football Association all received support after being hard hit.
The Appeal is still open for donations and applications for funding but SIF will be closing the Appeal at the end of the year. In the New Year SIF will launch two new grants programmes to benefit the charitable sector.
The small grants programme will effectively replace the Christmas Lottery Grants that were previously administered by the Association of Guernsey Charities and the major grants programme will support the financial sustainability of the charitable sector. Funding for both the small and major grants programmes will come from the net proceeds of the Channel Islands Lottery.
Grants will be made to support activities within the Bailiwick of Guernsey or those that benefit residents of the Bailiwick.
Jurat Stephen Jones OBE, chair of the Social Investment Fund, said:
"2020 saw the Social Investment Fund set up but then immediately reprioritise its strategy to better serve the needs of the community and local charities at a time of crisis by launching the Covid-19 Community Charity Appeal. We have been delighted by the response of the public and send sincere thanks to all those who have donated. The Board of the Social Investment Fund is now excited to embark on its originally intended grants programmes which we hope will provide a new and highly valuable source of funding for the charitable sector. This year has once again proved the value of the work that so many charities provide, especially during times of crisis.
SIF is committed to working transparently, to the highest standards of governance, in the way we invest the public's money back into the community. We look forward to providing regular reports on where and how funds are being invested through our new grants programmes."
