GRANT FUND SET UP TO SUPPORT BAME CHARITIES HAD TO “TURN AWAY” SIX OUT OF SEVEN APPLICANTS
Released On 23rd Feb 2022
A grant fund set up to support black and ethnic minority (BAME) charities during the coronavirus pandemic was "nearly seven-times oversubscribed", it has been reported.
Voice 4 Change England (V4CE) said its Covid-19 Partnership Fund received applications for grants totalling £8 million, despite holding funds of just £1.2 million.
The national membership body – which also set up a fund for victims of the Windrush scandal – said BAME groups have been “underfunded” for years.
The V4CE fund was launched in 2020 to support BAME community groups and organisations delivering Covid-19 services in England, with up to £10,000 funding available per applicant.
The £1.2 million fund was split into three programmes. The first for help with costs in delivering Covid-19 services if funding had been affected by the pandemic; the second for delivering mental health and wellbeing services; and the third for delivering sports activities to tackle BAME inequalities.
But it was revealed that just over one in seven – around 16 per cent of applicants – were awarded grants, leaving unsuccessful charities in potentially precarious financial positions.
In total, 140 grants worth £1.2 million were awarded between 2020 and 2021.
Speaking at the association’s annual general meeting, Ila Chandavarkar, treasurer at V4CE, said: “It just shows us the need that is there, because the Black and ethnic minority sector has been underfunded for years, and it is not easy to sort things so quickly.”
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