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ESSEX

New PFCC partnership helps charities respond to the impact of COVID-19

Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been made available to support voluntary and community organisations helping the most vulnerable people in Essex who have been affected by Coronavirus.

The cash boost of £150,000 is the result of a new partnership between the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Essex Community Foundation (ECF), which set up the Essex Coronavirus Response and Recovery Programme to support charities affected by the impact of COVID-19.

The £150,000 has come from PFCC’s Community Safety Development Fund. ECF will administer the monies, ensuring that funds are allocated to voluntary organisations that are helping local people.

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “As an experienced administrator of funds, ECF is well-known amongst community and voluntary sector organisations and is well-placed to identify need, distribute funds into the community quickly and monitor how effectively they are being utilised.

“As people will be all too aware, the outbreak of COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the local voluntary sector and the most vulnerable in communities.

“Initiatives such as the partnership between the Community Safety Development Fund and ECF, in awarding the £150,000, will go some way towards helping deliver financial support, relieve pressure on public service and help co-ordinate a local community response.”

Caroline Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at ECF, said: “This generous donation will provide vital support to community and voluntary organisations that are responding to the pandemic.

“The impact of COVID-19 has meant that charities have had to adapt their services to meet local needs and, in some cases, they have seen an unprecedented demand for their services.

“As well as providing practical help for people who need transport to hospital appointments or delivering food parcels to those who are vulnerable or homeless, many groups are using online tools to communicate with, and continue supporting, their beneficiaries.”

The PFCC’s Community Safety Development Fund has an annual value of £300,000 and would usually open to bids at the beginning of the financial year. This decision will see up to 50 per cent of the fund utilised for the Essex Coronavirus Response and Recovery Programme. Applications will be received and assessed by ECF and recommendations will be made to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

ECF is an independent trust that manages charitable funds from multiple donors. They match applications from voluntary organisations to the funds they hold. ECF is also receiving funding from the National Emergencies Trust, individuals and companies and has repurposed some of its existing funds, to create the Essex Coronavirus Response and Recovery Programme.

More information about Essex Community Foundation and the Essex Coronavirus Response and Recovery Programme can be found at: https://www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk/

For details of the PFCC’s Community Safety Development Fund visit:

https://www.essex.pfcc.police.uk/giving-you-a-voice/commissioning-services/

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01245 291600

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