RYA welcome the launch of CAF Resilience Fund

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched a Resilience Fund offering an initial £20 million in financial support. The funds will be distributed to organisations through grants ranging from £10,000 to £100,000 with the aim of delivering rapid relief from the impact of COVID-19.

CAF hope that the funding will be able to support the causes and communities that have been most affected by the pandemic. In order to be eligible for funding, an organisation must be focused on the interests and needs of at least one of the designated groups: children and young people, people with physical or learning disabilities, older people, Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities (please see the CAF website for a full list of eligible groups and causes).   

Both registered and unregistered charitable organisations, including community interest companies and social enterprises are eligible to apply. Charities applying must be based in the UK and deliver their services in England. Received funds can be used for overhead costs such as staff salaries and equipment and must be able to be spent before 31 March 2021.

Mandy Peters, RYA Legal Manager, said: “For many people, their local club or centre is the hub of their community, the pandemic will have hit hardest for those participants, such as members of Sailability, who may still be unable to safely return to the water. For the groups that have been able to run a minimised service, COVID-19 has presented many obstacles that have required extra resources to overcome.

“This has been, and continues to be, a difficult and challenging time for sports groups. The RYA welcome this new financial support and would like to encourage eligible organisations from the boating community to consider applying for a grant from the Resilience Fund.”  

Monica Brown, Head of Charity Advisory at CAF, said: “This money will be spent to help the areas of the country where the need is greatest, including communities that have struggled to access earlier funding, those that face cultural barriers and those that have lacked a voice through these long, difficult months.”

Closing date: Midday (GMT) on 10 November 2020

For more information on the Resilience Fund’s eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit the CAF website.

If you are an affiliated club, class, or RTC and require assistance, please get in touch with the RYA Legal team, call: 023 8060 4223 or email: legal@rya.org.uk.