The Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) crisis fund provides one-off payments to organisations facing unexpected problems that could affect their services.

The fund aims to:

• prevent services from being disrupted, especially those used by vulnerable residents
• help organisations deal with urgent operational or financial problems
• provide a one-off emergency payment of up to £10,000

What the fund can be used for

The fund can help pay for:

• temporary relocation costs or other measures to keep services running
• equipment or materials needed to respond to the emergency
• urgent staffing or volunteer costs
• replacing essential equipment
• emergency repairs

It cannot be used to replace ongoing funding or for long-term financial problems.

Eligibility

You may be able to apply if your organisation is facing an urgent problem that puts your services at risk. This could include:

• a risk that services may stop or your organisation may have to close
• urgent safeguarding or health and safety concerns
• unexpected essential costs
• a sudden loss of income

You must show how the problem will affect:

• activities aligned with our resilient communities priorities
• essential community services
• safety, wellbeing or inclusion
• vulnerable residents

You must also show that:

• you cannot cover the costs through reserves, insurance or other funding
• you have taken steps to manage the situation
• the funding is needed to help resolve the problem

How to apply

To apply, you need to provide:

• details of how the problem will affect your services and the people who use them
• an explanation of the problem and why funding is needed
• evidence to support your request
• a breakdown of costs

Apply

What happens next

We will assess your application with Cabinet Members. We will tell you the outcome within ten working days.

If you are successful, you must provide a short outcome statement within eight weeks of receiving the funding. You must explain how the money helped resolve the problem and kept your services running.