On 3rd April 2020 The Rank Foundation launched the Resilience Fund in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Applications are open to all RankNet members, and the fund has been implemented to cover cashflow, fundraising and loss of income challenges relating to the current covid-19 related climate. This includes those facing significant, unplanned demand on services. Within hours of opening, applications were received and the Grants Manager and Foundation Executives began processing the applications, assessing management accounts and cash flow forecasts, knowing that access to this type of funding was a priority.
We will be looking at some of the Resilience Fund grantees each fortnight, with this week spotlighting Horatio’s Garden and Devon and Cornwall Furniture Reuse Project.
Horatio’s Garden
Organisation Overview:
Horatio’s Garden creates and cares for beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. Once the gardens have been built the charity maintains them and organises activities to take place in the garden. A Head Gardener leads a team of dedicated volunteers who keep the garden looking beautiful, run rehabilitative garden and art therapy sessions, serve tea and cakes, and host food events and music concerts. The feeling of being free from the hospital means that longer-term patients can use the garden for things they can’t necessarily do on the ward.
Difficulties due to Coronavirus:
As a result of the lockdown, the charity has had to cancel all its Spring and Summer fundraising events which will lead to a loss of income in the region of £240,000. As a garden charity, Horatio’s Garden hold the majority of their fundraising events over these months when the gardens are at their most beautiful so a large proportion of their fundraising income is raised during these months.
What will the Resilience Fund grant be used for?
The uncertainty around how long the pandemic will last means Horatio’s Garden is not getting the exposure it would usually recieve. Therefore a grant of £20,000 towards new fundraising efforts has been awarded.
Devon and Cornwall Furniture Reuse Project
Organisation Overview:
Devon and Cornwall Furniture Reuse Project (DCFRP) help people in the local community to make their houses into homes. They help around 340 people per year who may be moving into a property after being homeless or moving home because of domestic violence. Many of their clients have been given properties with no carpets or curtains and haven’t received any help or advice.
The charity believes that every person should have a bed to sleep in and a sofa to sit on and every family should have a dining table.
As well as furniture, DCFRP provide advice via a free coffee and advice corner. They will help people to look for jobs and write their CV’s, and also help with applications for benefits and housing advice.
Difficulties due to Coronavirus:
“At the moment, and to be honest, we are trying to take it day by day and week by week. We are concentrating on what we can do to survive for now in the hopes that we will recover.”
The furniture shop has closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, therefore this revenue stream has stopped. The only income they have is when Plymouth City Council rehome an individual or a family, but this is nowhere near enough income to pay salaries and cover rent. DCFRP are still donating furniture, but are unable to collect donated furniture due to social distancing and lockdown, therefore stocks are low.
What will the Resilience Fund grant be used for?
Bringing forward DCFRP’s Match Trading grant of £10,000 will help them to recover far quicker than the anticipated 6-12 months and will significantly decrease the likeliness of the charity closing its doors.