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.

Eligible organisations:

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.

Eligible services include:

• 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 we'll match it up to £250, so if your project receives a donation of £20 we'll add another £20, If your project receives a donation of £500 then you'll receive an additional £250.
• Only one donation per supporter will be matched (we will not provide match funding 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.
• Note – the National Emergencies Trust reserves the right to vary these criteria. Projects will be notified if their criteria will vary from the stated terms above.

Applications for the fund are open until 22 October.

If eligible, successful organisations will be required to set up a crowdfunding campaign with an aim to raise money to either launch new local initiatives or to enable them to continue existing services.

Before completing your application please read the full Eligibility and Pledge Criteria. Read here.

Projects will be required to agree to the Terms and Conditions.

Key dates:

• 22 Sept - 22 Oct  Applications open
• 5 Nov - Successful entrants notified
• 17 Nov - Live match funding launches
• 31 March - Funding closes

Key Links:

NET: Action fund | Crowdfunder UK