Funding to assist voluntary and community groups who are continuing to support the most vulnerable communities with the impact of the pandemic.  It covers activity to be undertaken in January to March 2022. The funding is for those groups with unfunded existing and established activity that meets immediate needs of communities impacted by the pandemic through providing practical support and helping increase community resilience. Funding will be distributed following a brief application process.

Since the start of the pandemic the contribution of the third sector in Leeds to supporting communities most affected by Covid-19 has been outstanding. The sector mobilised quickly and collaborated with public and private sector partners to offer support to vulnerable communities and those most at risk of health inequalities.  VAL and Leeds City Council have coordinated a ‘ward based’ approach where lead ‘hubs’ in each ward support their local community by providing emergency food provision, befriending, practical support and a wide range of other activities. The approach has been collaborative, and many new partnerships have formed, we hope the launch of this new fund will enable us to widen those partnerships.

With this funding, Voluntary Action Leeds alongside Leeds City Council are looking to assist those voluntary and community groups who are continuing to support the most vulnerable communities with the impact of the pandemic.

Funding Remit
The funding can only be used to underpin unfunded existing and established activity that meets immediate needs of communities impacted by the pandemic through providing practical support and helping increase community resilience by linking people up to wider support networks (e.g., community pantries/welfare support/local activity groups/advocacy services).   Successful applicants are also expected to link up and complement the work of the existing Community Care Hubs (and their networks) in their area and engage in established fortnightly 1hr collaborative meetings.

The funding will enable the following activity:

• Practical Support – e.g., providing food, prescription pick-up and dog walking for people in need particularly those who are self-isolating.
• Health and Wellbeing – Supporting the wider impacts of Covid on people’s health and wellbeing (e.g., providing welfare calls.)
• Linking with long term support – As this funding is short term it is key that the people receiving support are linked in with other providers that can continue to help them once this funding has ceased (e.g., linking up with a local food pantry or Food bank)

Local Tailored Approaches
We recognise that local approaches are important and that you are best placed to know what the needs of your communities are, and this differs between communities of interest and locations across the city. The following activities are required to be fulfilled by the successful applicants, but how you deliver will depend on the needs of your community. 

• Community Led – What you will do; how local communities will benefit and how community-led approaches are put in place to address different needs for different people.
• Volunteering – Engaging and maximising the involvement of volunteers is a key activity.
• Identify Community Needs – Report back to VAL and LCC what the themes or areas of concern that are identified in communities; what is working well and where there are barriers that we can feed into future strategy.

Activities must be delivered between January and March 2022.  Application deadline is 5pm on 17th December 2021.

Full details, application form and monitoring requirements are attached. Wider Partnerships E1 and 2 Funding Pot (003) 

Please return application to Richard Jackson: richard.jackson@val.org.uk

Voluntary Action Leeds