The Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF) was announced on 18 March 2020 by Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government Aileen Campbell as part of a £350m support package for the sector as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Third Sector Resilience Fund will support organisations across the third sector who are at risk of closure due to a sharp decrease in income or that are unable to deliver their services during this difficult period. The fund will distribute £20m of emergency funds over the coming months.

The Fund will support charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises that already deliver services and/or products but that find themselves in financial difficulties directly as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The funding’s primary intention is to help these organisations to stabilise and manage cashflows over this difficult period.

The Fund will be delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and the Corra Foundation and will provide grants between £5,000-£100,000. In addition there will be up to a further £5m available in fully flexible, 0% interest loans starting at £50,000.

The fund will be complemented by specialist business advice from Just Enterprise to help grant recipients maximise the impact of the financial support.

To be eligible, interested organisations must be:

  • a charity, social enterprise or voluntary organisation based in Scotland and/or primarily delivering services/activities in Scottish communities;
  • already delivering those products or services prior to March 2020;
  • and needing funding to stabilise cashflows directly as a result of the impact of COVID-19, as opposed to pre-existing financial difficulties

Applications for the Third Sector Resilience Fund is now open. Interested applicants are encouraged to read the fund’s Guidance Notes and FAQs prior to starting an application.

In order to apply, organisations must complete a short eligibility checker to assess their suitability for the fund. Based on the answers provided, interested applicants will be directed to the correct application form depending on their needs or signposted to other sources of relevant funding/support.

To apply for the fund, please click onto the following link:

https://scvo.org/support/coronavirus/funding/for-organisations/third-sector-resilience-fund

CEMVO is offering online business support to ethnic minority groups / organisations and social enterprises in applying to the Third Sector Resilience Fund.

We will help guide you through the funding process and support you by giving you guidance and support to help the drafting of a good application.

Whether you application is successful or not, CEMVO will work with CEiS to see how we can provide further business support to your organisation through this difficult period.

Please contact Norman Chipakupaku on 07399 154 517 / email: (Norman.chipakupaku@cemvoscotland.org.uk) to find out more about the fund and to access CEMVO Scotland business support.