The Coronavirus Resilience Fund is open to local community groups and projects who provide vital support across various constituencies, with the aim of easing financial concerns caused by the Covid-19 crisis. The first grants were awarded last week to eleven charities across the West Midlands and Warwickshire, all who received grants up to £1,500. Projects included Gospel Oak Community Centre, Time Out, Dudley Carers Forum and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust General Charity, all of which needed funding to ensure they were able to continue to run the vital services they offer.

Commenting on the support, Dave Crathorne at Gospel Oak Community Centre, comments: “We are so thankful for the funding we have received from Heart of England Community Foundation; the administration of the grant has been efficient and the team have been absolutely amazing. Without this support we would be unable to provide the vital resources that enable mental stimulation and wellbeing of our local vulnerable families. This grant will be the base from which we will rebuild our community and support them through this very difficult time.”

The Foundation received an influx of applications to the recently launched fund and with many now having to self-isolate in line with the Government’s health and safety guidelines, people in need are unable to access essential resources without external support from local outreach programmes. In order to deliver this necessary support, many local groups are depending on receiving extra funding from the Coronavirus Resilience Fund.

Tina Costello, Chief Executive at Heart of England Community Foundation, says: “The support we’ve received so far has been amazing and I cannot thank everyone who has already contributed to the fund enough. After launching last week, we have been inundated with communities who are in need of financial backing during these unprecedented times. To continue to support those most in need during this time, we need help from people across the region by donating what they can and helping us to support those in need.”

So far, £229,900 has been donated but in order to make a real difference, Heart of England Community Foundation is hoping to secure further funding so that they are able to continue to support vital services such as food banks, social eating projects, emergency food parcel deliveries and outreach activities which may have been affected by the pandemic.