Purpose

This report requests approval to deliver a third round of the
VCS Resilience Fund launching in 2024/5. The VCS Resilience Fund
was originally developed and launched in 2022. It was established
in response to the impact of Covid on the VCS. In
October 2021, the council decided to allocate up to £1.92
million over two years to this grants programme, comprising
£1,040,000 of revenue budget and £880,000 from
Community Impacts Fund reserves.
 
In 2022/23, the fund and aimed to support organisations to adapt
to new ways of working and to mitigate some of the financial impact
and losses associated with COVID-19. In 2023/24, and in the context
of the cost-of-living crisis and inflation, the second round of the
Resilience Fund played a critical role in supporting the
borough’s VCS to address immediate risks and bolster
long-term sustainability. These programmes have been delivered
without the need to make use of Community Impacts Fund
reserves.
 
The Resilience Fund has become an important and significant part
of Camden’s VCS funding landscape, enabling organisations to
address risk and to enhance long-term sustainability. The
Council’s 2024-2031 grants programme will include an
‘Organisational Sustainability and Development Fund’,
which will, in time replace the Resilience Fund.
 
Given that the economic context remains incredibly challenging
for Camden's VCS, it is proposed that the council runs a third
round of the Resilience Fund, with a £500,000 budget. The
2024/25 programme will provide grant awards of up to £30,000.
The budget for this will be comprised of £150,000 of revenue
funding and a £350,000 draw down from the Community Partner
reserves, which currently stand at £1.4 million.
 
 

Content

(i)             
THAT the Executive Director Corporate Services, in consultation
with the Cabinet Member for Voluntary Sector, Equalities and
Cohesion approve the recommendation to deliver a third round of the
Resilience Fund 2024/25 as detailed in this report, with a total
budget of £500,000, comprised of £150,000 of revenue
budget and £350,000 drawdown from the Community Partnerships
reserves.
 

(ii)            
THAT the Executive Director Corporate Services delegates authority
to the Director of Equalities and Community Strength to make all
decisions on the final grants awarded through this programme up to
£30,000 in accordance with the process and criteria set out
in Appendix 2.