Council invites charities and voluntary organisations to bid for funding

Bedford Borough Council has called for local charities and voluntary organisations to apply for funding that will help them to support members of communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Those that have been disproportionally impacted by COVID-19 could include people from black and minority ethnic communities or persons with disabilities.

The funding can be used for activities including introducing physical infection control measures in community buildings, improving understanding around COVID-19 safety advice, assisting people in need of financial support due to COVID-19 and funding additional staff to work with at risk groups.

Michael Headley, Portfolio Holder for Finance, said "We are asking charities and voluntary groups to come forward to help people disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. This funding can be used in a variety of ways including physical infection control measures in community buildings, helping to improve understanding around COVID-19 advice, or funding additional staff to work with at-risk groups."

Groups that apply for the funding, which is available through the Contain Outbreak Management Fund, will be required to set out how it will be used to benefit residents who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. All applications should include:

• The name of the organisation applying
• The year the organisation was established, e.g. date a charity was registered
• The amount of funding that you are applying for
• Details of how the funding will be used and how this will help residents who are likely to be disproportionately affected by COVID.
• Confirmation that the charitable/voluntary organisations has a bank account in the name of the organisation.
• A copy of your most recent audited or independently verified accounts.
• The name and position of the person making the request.

Requests for funding should be emailed to community.welfare@bedford.gov.uk before 23:59 on Tuesday 25 January 2022. Any requests received after this date will not be considered.