When the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, our Trustees recognised that Bedford was facing its greatest challenge of our lifetimes. They swiftly set aside an additional £1.5 million on top of our normal grant funding to support the community.
To date we have awarded over £283,000 in the first phase of our Covid-19 funding. Much of this has been spent in partnerships with other funders. We made grants totalling £85,000 from the Bedfordshire Coronavirus Emergency Fund, working with Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation, The Connolly Foundation, The Steele Trust and others. In addition we’ve worked with Bedford Educational Association to provide 110 laptops for digitally excluded children in lockdown 1.
We have now opened applications for the next phase of our Covid-19 Fund.
The Fund aims to support key local voluntary sector organisations which have been negatively impacted by the pandemic so that they can keep providing vital services or cope with increased demand for their services. It also will enable the development of new services to meet new needs directly arising from Covid-19.
We intend that this support will give charities working in Bedford Borough the time to think about their next steps in terms of services and funding after an exhausting year. Given its transitional nature the fund will provide support for a maximum of 18 months.
Organisations can apply for grants between £5,000 and £50,000.
We will prioritise organisations providing frontline services to people directly affected by Covid-19. We particularly welcome applications to support people from more disadvantaged backgrounds who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Please read our guidance notes to find out whether the fund is suitable for your needs, and talk to us before making an application.
Our Covid work extends beyond this fund. We will continue to work with local and national partners to develop joint initiatives to respond to Covid needs – if you have ideas to develop please talk to us.
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| Read Guidance Notes | Apply |
Contact us
Katrina Hyden - Community Programmes Officer
khyden@harpurtrust.org.uk t:01234 369507
Issy Powell – Community Programmes Assistant
ipowell@harpurtrust.org.uk t:01234 369533