GrantRadar

Maidstone Borough Council

Emergency Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Crisis Fund

A one-off emergency payment of up to £10,000 from Maidstone Borough Council for voluntary and community organisations facing a sudden operational or financial problem that puts their services at risk, especially services used by vulnerable residents. It covers urgent costs such as emergency repairs, temporary relocation, replacement equipment or extra staffing, but not long-term financial problems or replacing ongoing funding. Applications are taken at any time and decided within ten working days.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £10,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Voluntary and community organisations facing an urgent problem that puts their services at risk - for example a risk that services may stop or the organisation may close, urgent safeguarding or health and safety concerns, unexpected essential costs or a sudden loss of income
  • You must show how the problem affects activities aligned with the council's resilient communities priorities, essential community services, safety, wellbeing or inclusion, and vulnerable residents; that you cannot cover the costs through reserves, insurance or other funding; that you have taken steps to manage the situation; and that the funding is needed to resolve the problem
  • The council's community grants prospectus (which applies to all its grants) welcomes registered charities and CIOs, CICs (case by case), unincorporated groups and associations, parish councils (non-statutory projects) and faith-based organisations whose projects are open to everyone; the organisation must be based in Maidstone borough, or show the funding will exclusively benefit Maidstone residents
  • Most applicants must have been operating for at least twelve months, with safeguarding, insurance, health and safety and financial controls proportionate to their work

What it funds

  • 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

What it will not fund

  • Replacing ongoing funding
  • Long-term financial problems
  • Costs you can cover through reserves, insurance or other funding
  • Commercial businesses, private individuals or other local authorities (generally, under the council's community grants prospectus)
  • Statutory duties

How to apply

  1. Apply through the council's online form (Apply link on the fund page)
  2. Give 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, supporting evidence and a breakdown of costs
  3. The council assesses the application with Cabinet Members and tells you the outcome within ten working days
  4. If successful, provide a short outcome statement within eight weeks of receiving the funding, explaining how the money helped resolve the problem and kept services running

Have ready

  • Evidence to support your request
  • A breakdown of costs

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.