Support for community and voluntary organisations

We are working closely with charity and community groups, through our voluntary sector partners Barnet Together to offer a co-ordinated response. This will help us all make sure that people who are vulnerable can easily request help when needed.

If you are a voluntary or charity organisation who would like to collaborate with our Community Help Hub response or would like further support please contact Inclusion Barnet, a key partner of Barnet Together.

We also recognise every charity and community group will have different needs and challenges at this time and may require additional support with recruiting volunteers or funding:

Help with recruiting volunteers and advice

If you are recruiting volunteers, or have any specific needs to carry out your response efforts, please let us know by filling in the volunteering needs form.

Support to start a Crowdfunding campaign

Crowdfunding offers a way to raise funds rapidly by connecting people with local causes. Anyone can back a campaign with as little as £2, and can do so safely online. If you have a project idea that enables people to take a more active role in supporting their local area, and develops resilience within Barnet’s communities, Crowdfund Barnet offers a route to mobilise the funding you need to make it happen. The Crowdfund Barnet fund is open right now for those with project ideas to support their communities.

Funding updates:

Co-op Local Community Fund is still open until 28 June. You can apply at causes.coop.co.uk. For further information contact Neill Reed on 07811 024557 or email neill.reed@coopmembers.co.uk

The Emergency Government Grants scheme through the National Lottery Community Fund is open for applications. Grants are for projects supporting people and communities affected by COVID-19 and can also help organisations overcome any financial difficulties they face as a result of the pandemic. The three grants available are:

Funding for domestic abuse and food aid charities

The government has announced £10 million funding for charities supporting victims of domestic abuse to offer safe accommodation, as well as £16 million funding for front-line food aid charities helping prepare food for the vulnerable.

Barnet Community Response Fund

The Barnet Community Response Fund, set up in partnership with Barnet Together at the onset of COVID-19, has to date distributed £83,000 worth of aid to Barnet-based community groups who have been supporting our communities.

The fund is currently open for applications for small grants of up to £500. Local organisations who are supporting their communities with food packages, financial advice, befriending services and other COVID-19 related support are encouraged to apply. For more information on how to apply for funding please visit Barnet Community Response Fund.

The fund continues to exist due to contributions from the council as well as generous donations from Barnet residents. Every penny donated goes directly back into your community, ensuring local organisations can support some of our most vulnerable residents through the recovery period and beyond. Click to donate #BarnetTogether.

In addition, the council had also committed up to £25,000 to match pound-for-pound public donations. The Barnet Together Partnership has now announced that their total public donations to the Community Response Fund has exceeded £25,000. As promised the council has now match funded this on top of the of £50,000 it previously donated.

Barnet COVID-19 Sustainability Impact Fund

In addition, the council has worked with the trustees of the Edward Harvist Trust to make available a further £50,000 of their allocation to Barnet as a COVID-19 Sustainability Impact Fund. This is aimed at supporting voluntary and community organisations facing threats to their survival from loss of income as a result of COVID-19. The application process has now closed and grants have now been awarded.

You can find further funding opportunities at Grantfinder and Inclusion Barnet.

Training and support for your organisation

The Online FSI Fundraising Conference on 18 June will cover digital fundraising, diversifying income and communicating with donors in times of crisis. The course is free to organisations with a turnover of less than £100K. For more information and to book please click here.
Semple’s sustainable funding for community projects – watch the workshop and get the slides as well as information on the Brent Cross South Community Fund (up to £3,000 to help local initiatives around the Brent Cross South. Deadline: 28 June), Youth Futures Foundation, The Edward Gostling Foundation and other funding for COVID-19 responses.
The Charity Retail Association has published a re-opening pack to support charities to reopen and operate their shops safely from 15 June. Access the pack here.
JVN is matching furloughed charity staff to volunteer or work on specific projects at other charities during COVID-19 time utilising the skills of these staff that understand the sector.
Respect is offering free online domestic abuse training for London’s Frontline Workers on a first come first served basis. Have a look at their Respect Toolkit for Work with Male Victims of Domestic Abuse
For further free online courses including safeguarding, bereavement and domestic abuse book through https://fstraining.barnet.gov.uk/courses/bookings/default.asp
Safeguarding is Everyone's Business from the Home Office sets out how to keep people safe from harm and abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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