UK disaster relief fund raises £12.5m in a week for coronavirus efforts
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Version 0 of 1. National Emergencies Trust is giving cash to charities helping vulnerable people to cope The UK’s first domestic disaster emergency appeal, launched to coordinate voluntary fundraising for frontline charities helping vulnerable people cope with the social impact of coronavirus, has raised £12.5m in its first week. The National Emergencies Trust (NET), which was set up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, said individual donors to its coronavirus fund had so far given about £1m, with the remainder coming from companies and philanthropic foundations. About £2.5m has been distributed in the last couple of days through a network of 46 regional community foundations covering every part of the UK. They in turn are channelling it to frontline groups in the form of small cash grants. The initial phase of funding will focus on helping relieve food insecurity, with grants for groups delivering supplies to economically disadvantaged households, as well as organisations working with vulnerable and isolated older and disabled people. The chair of the NET, Richard Dannatt, said: “It is a fantastic achievement and testament to the generosity of the British public, business and charitable foundations that within a week we managed to raise £13m – and get £2.5m out very quickly to those who need it most. “Local community foundations are now allocating money to local charities who are best placed to help those in the greatest need. At present it seems as if the delivery of food to the vulnerable and elderly is the highest priority, and those supplies are now flowing.” Lord Dannatt added: “I would urge everyone to be as generous as possible so we can all work together to relieve as much suffering as possible. This is definitely a moment for us all to pull together.’’ Charity resources have been devastated in recent weeks by the cancellation of fundraising events, from coffee mornings to mass-participation events such as the London Marathon, with an estimated £4bn of expected income wiped out. Volunteer teams have been decimated as older members have been forced to stay at home. Norfolk Community Foundation said it had received 60 grant applications since Wednesday. It has already sent out £1,000 grants to five local groups, including two delivering food and medical supplies, and one to an autism charity to enable it to install a phone helpline to replace its face-to-face befriending service. Claire Cullens, the foundation’s chief executive, said distribution through its existing grant channels meant it could get money swiftly to small groups well placed to identify local families in need. “It ensures vital lifeline funding is getting to parish, community or even street level to enable people to help.” The NET was set up last year to coordinate disaster fundraising responses and provide a trusted channel for people who want to donate but who are unsure how to do so. The idea for a NET – modelled on the Disasters Emergency Committee that handles the UK charity response to humanitarian disasters overseas – came out of concerns that the massive public fundraising response to Grenfell was badly coordinated with little accountability for the money raised. Donors to the coronavirus fund so far include the Sainsbury family foundations, which have given more than £3m, and corporations such as the Co-op and BlackRock. Several Premier League footballers are supporting the NET campaign, including Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerin and the Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka. • Donations can be made at: www.nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk. |