ABOUT THE FUND

A funding pot of £40 million has been provided by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of its Community Match Challenge and kindly matched by the Covid 19 Support Fund created by the insurance and long-term insurance industry.

The CAF Resilience Fund is focused on those individuals and communities hardest hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. Phase 1 launched in November 2020 and saw the distribution of £20million of emergency funding to help organisations survive and deliver rapid relief from the impact of the pandemic. Phase 2 launched in the summer of 2021 and is providing grants and tailored support to enable organisations to adapt and thrive; continuing to deliver vital local services whilst also building their organisational resilience.

Phase 2 enabling organisations to adapt and thrive

A total of 102 organisations have been awarded funding of Phase 2 of the fund. These organisations are working in three cause areas where individuals and communities have been disproportionately affected by Covid. They provide services which;

  • Support people living with a disability
  • Work with Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities
  • Encourage young adult reskilling for those aged 16 to 35 years

These grant holders have received main grants up to £350,000 to support service delivery, core-costs and resilience building in their organisation. They will also receive up to £20,000 to pay for external expertise to help achieve their resilience goals. Finally, CAF is also running a tailored support programme to bring together and support these organisations as they make their way on their journey to boosting their organisational resilience.

Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, Nigel Huddleston said:

"The Government is committed to supporting communities who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.

"I'm grateful to the Charities Aid Foundation for their fantastic work distributing Community Match Challenge funding and supporting organisations carrying out critical work.

"I look forward to seeing how the second round of the CAF Resilience Fund helps build a strong future for these important organisations."

Yvonne Braun, Executive Lead for the Covid-19 Support Fund and Director of Policy, Long-Term Savings and Protection at the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said:

“Since the start of the pandemic, charities and communities throughout the UK have come together to support those most in need. We are thrilled that through the partnership between the Covid-19 Support Fund, CAF and the DCMS Community Match Challenge, that the insurance and long-term savings industry has been able to support the work of these charities so that they can continue their vital work."

Grant Statistics

Phase 1

Organisations funded - 645

Average grant - £29,767

Beneficiaries supported - 2.8 million

Phase 2

Organisations funded - 102

Average grant 147k

Beneficiaries supported - 1.2 million

Impact stories: Phase 1

  • cfg
    7 June 2021 

    Children and Families in Grief

    "We are very thankful to the CAF Resilience Fund for supporting the work of our charity. With this money we are able to work with many more families who have been bereaved in our area."

    Francesca Raymont, Lead Therapist at Children and Families in Grief

  • castlehaven
    7 June 2021 

    Castlehaven

    "The biggest benefit for Castlehaven is that we have been able to find the 'hard to reach' that live on our doorstep. We have helped many local residents who may never have needed our services before, but now that they have, we can continue to work with them."

    Tricia Richards, CEO at Castlehaven

  • Dentaid
    7 June 2021 

    Dentaid

    "Thanks to the CAF Resilience Fund we will be able to continue and expand our work taking outreach dental services to homeless and vulnerable people. The last year has been extremely difficult as we had to cancel our entire fundraising programme whilst facing ever-increasing demand for our services."

    Sue Smith, UK Development Manager at Dentaid

Impact stories: Phase 2

RF Phase 2 Blog Image
23 January 2023 

CAF Resilience Fund: what has Phase 2 achieved so far?

With the pandemic and subsequent cost-of-living crisis, the need for UK charities to be resilient has never been more apparent. Phase 2 of the CAF Resilience Fund is designed to help charities move beyond survival and to adapt so that they can look to the future, be sustainable and thrive. 


This funding has been jointly provided by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Community Match Challenge funding scheme as part of the Government's £750 million coronavirus support package for charities along with matched funding by the Covid-19 Support Fund created by the insurance and long-term savings industry.

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