National Emergencies Trust Local Action Fund – applications open until 22 October 2021

Article date
11 October 2021
Primary interest
Voluntary sector

Get up to £10,000 match funding to help your voluntary or community organisation overcome the effects of the pandemic.

Crowdfunder and the National Emergencies Trust have teamed up to make more than £1.2m match funding available to help voluntary and community organisations in the UK overcome the effects of the pandemic. This exciting new opportunity aims to support long-term sustainability and open up new avenues of income for brilliant local groups who are making a real difference to the people in their communities.

This match fund of up to £10,000 per project has been launched by the National Emergencies Trust as part of its Coronavirus Appeal. It offers support to voluntary and community organisations in the UK by helping them to counter financial challenges created by the pandemic, including the inability to fundraise in the usual ways, reductions in staff and volunteers, and increased demand on their services.

Who can apply

The following are eligible to apply to be part of the match funding programme:

  • Registered charities, including charitable incorporated organisations
  • Constituted organisations and non-registered charities
  • Community interest companies
  • Churches and other religious organisations (if the funded activity is not deemed to be proselytising).
  • Other voluntary community organisations or those not constituted but deemed appropriate by Crowdfunder under this Programme would be eligible, with appropriate endorsement from the statutory body, charity, parochial church council or community foundation etc.
What services are eligible
  • Health and wellbeing services
  • Activities that relieve pressure on local statutory services
  • Services for vulnerable people self-isolating
  • Services addressing food poverty
  • Community response coordination
  • Services supporting those experiencing, or at risk of, domestic abuse, those facing homelessness and those working with refugees and or asylum seeker communities
  • Services supporting young people’s access to education
  • Services supporting those in poverty or at risk of poverty
Match funding criteria

If your application is approved, you will be eligible to receive up to £10,000 from the National Emergencies Trust, matched pound for pound. Match funding is on donations only and not included in recurring donations, rewards and prize draw entries.

To receive match funding, the following conditions must all be met:

  • Your project must raise funds from at least 25 unique supporters within four weeks.
  • For every donation made towards your project they will match it up to £250, so if your project receives a donation of £20 another £20 will be added, If your project receives a donation of £500 then you’ll receive an additional £250.
  • Only one donation per supporter will be matched (match funding will not be provided where a supporter is deemed to have made multiple donations).
  • If your project is an “all or nothing project” your project must reach its target.

You can receive a maximum of £10,000 of match funding per organisation.

Is there a deadline
  • Applications are open until 22 October.
  • 5 November, successful entrants are notified
  • 17 November, live match funding launches
  • 31 March, funding closes
Further details, eligibility, information on crowd funding and how to apply, see link:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/local-action-fund