The Merton Giving Response, Resilience and Recovery Fund

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, over £200k in funding has been distributed through the Merton Giving Coronavirus Fund between April and August this year - benefitting 75 organisations reaching and supporting an estimated 6,500 local residents. After a short pause to our funding, we have taken time to review the last six months and to consider, moving forward, where our funding is directed. 

We want to continue the commitment we made at the outset of the pandemic by continuing to support those organisations that strive to help the immediate needs of those residents most affected by COVID-19.  Helping them to strengthen and build resilience will enable our local communities to be supported. We also recognise the need to remain flexible in our approach and are mindful of the challenges that coping with the pandemic continue to bring.  

Additionally, we will help to support organisations on the path to recovery and sustainability by helping them review, develop and execute new ways of working to enable them to respond to challenges faced and to continue to deliver their services to support our local communities. 

Themes

The Response, Resilience and Recovery Fund is intended to provide financial support to allow organisations to further adapt their services due to increased demand, and to continue to provide valuable support to Merton residents in line with the key themes and supporting criteria. Applicant organisations should aim to achieve this in their application through addressing at least one of the following themes:

  • Supporting those facing disproportionate impact: Organisations supporting people and communities who experience disproportionate impact and difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Supporting our vulnerable residents: Organisations providing services and support for vulnerable people, for which there will be increased demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Connecting our communities: Organisations which connect communities and support communities to work together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Who Can Apply?

Organisations must be based in or have a track record of delivering services in Merton, for the benefit of Merton residents. They must also have an independent organisational bank account with at least two non-related signatories. Before you consider applying for a grant, you need to be sure that your organisation and your project are eligible for a Merton Giving Response, Resilience and Recovery Fund. The following are eligible:

  • Registered Charity - Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Registered Charity - Charitable Company (limited by guarantee)
  • Registered Charity - Unincorporated Organisation
  • Registered Charity - Trust
  • Community Interest Company
  • A non-registered Group/Club/Society

Additional Criteria
The activities which you are applying for funding for must be legally charitable, for the public benefit and benefit Merton residents. This fund is for organisations with an annual turnover of £1,000,000 or less in the last financial year (or a mean average of less than £1,000,000 over the last three financial years). Organisations with unrestricted reserves that equate to more than 6 months running costs of the organisation are not eligible to apply for this fund. 

Eligible applications will be prioritised as follows: 

  • small organisations with limited reserves
  • organisations delivering vital services to maintain residents’ wellbeing during this crisis 
  • organisations whose operations are in serious jeopardy.
Speed of Response and Decision Making

The cut-off dates for eligible and successfully completed applications for each subsequent panel are the following dates:

  • 25th November 2020
  • 9th December 2020
  • 13th January 2021
  • 27th January 2021
  • 10th February 2021
  • 24th February 2021
  • 10th March 2021

The intention is to respond to eligible and successfully completed applications on a rolling basis with a panel sitting and making decisions according to the timetable below:

  • 9th December 2020
  • 13th January 2021
  • 27th January 2021
  • 10th February 2021
  • 24th February 2021
  • 10th March 2021
  • 24th March 2021
How To Apply
To apply to the Response, Resilience and Recovery Fund, please complete our online application form here. 

To keep up to date with our fund announcements please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and by subscribing to MVSC’s eBulletin. Donations to the fund can be made here.

Thank you to everyone that has generously contributed to the Merton Giving Response, Resilience and Recovery Fund.

Merton Giving is a charitable initiative from partners MVSC and Merton Chamber of Commerce, supported by Merton Council.