The Mayor's COVID Recovery Loneliness Fund Guidelines

The Mayor’s COVID Recovery Loneliness Fund
                             Guidelines
Tower Hamlets Council has established the Loneliness Fund, made available from the Mayor’s COVID
Recovery Fund, to award grants of up to £25,000 to organisations delivering activities designed to
reduce the impact of loneliness and social isolation on the residents of the borough. The Loneliness
Fund focuses on re-connecting those communities who have been most affected by the pandemic,
helping them to re-engage with social activities and build lasting connections.

The Mayor’s COVID Recovery Loneliness Fund is being administered by East End Community Foundation
(EECF) on behalf of Tower Hamlets Council.

What Funding is Available?
The total amount of funding available is £166,000. Organisations can apply for grants between £10,000
to £25,000.

All grant applications will be considered on their merit and given the same level of priority, meaning that
larger grant applications will not be prioritised over smaller grant applications and vice versa. It is
anticipated that 6-10 grants will be awarded through this fund, depending on the amounts awarded.

Loneliness Fund Priorities
The Council recognises the far-reaching impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on local communities.
Organisations are actively encouraged to develop new and innovative ideas for projects that respond to
the specific needs of the residents they support.

We know that loneliness deeply affects people in Tower Hamlets, and that there are certain factors in
Tower Hamlets that increase vulnerability to loneliness such as low incomes. We appreciate that many
of these factors have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and this Fund aims to support
residents to re-engage with local services and address the physical and psychological barriers they may
face.

We are particularly keen to fund projects that build on existing work and represent a new way of
working with the following groups, who have been identified as being at increased risk of loneliness
beyond Covid-19:

    •   Residents with long term physical or mental health issues, and those who care for them
    •   Residents from Black, Asian and minoritised communities
    •   Residents who are financially excluded, unemployed and/or on low-incomes
    •   Residents who were unable to engage with remote services during the pandemic, and who may
        need additional support to help them overcome chronic isolation as a result
    •   Residents aged 18-30, as well as residents aged 65+

Examples of the types of activities that the Fund will support include social activities, exercise groups,
arts and cultural activities, volunteering opportunities etc. In general, activities should:

    •    Support residents to build lasting and long-term connections with other local residents. Projects
         should seek to unite people, develop a sense of belonging, bridge social divides and bring
         otherwise separate communities closer together.
    •    Emphasise breaking down barriers between residents of different age groups, and residents
         from different cultural and social backgrounds. Activities should bring people together to
         promote engagement between groups and help tackle the isolation experienced by different
         groups due to the pandemic.
    •    Support residents to overcome barriers to re-engage with the local community through in-
         person activities. If it is not possible to deliver all activities in-person, projects should provide a
         blended approach of remote and in-person activities.
    •    Build on the support that the organisation has provided to those experiencing loneliness
         throughout the pandemic. It is important that services adapt to residents’ changing needs as we
         start to transition to the “new normal.”
    •    Include targeted outreach to ensure residents who are particularly vulnerable and/or those who
         were unable to engage in remote services during the pandemic are sufficiently supported to
         attend activities and re-engage with the local community

Project Outcomes
Through the delivery of your project/activities you should be working towards at least one of the
following outcomes and be able to report back on the associated indicators:

    1.   Reduced social isolation:
    •    Number of people reporting that they feel less lonely and/or isolated
    •    Number of people attending community/social activity sessions
    •    Number of people reporting improved social networks

    2.   Improved mental health and wellbeing:
    •    Number of people reporting improved mental health or wellbeing
    •    Number of people reporting increased self-esteem and confidence
    •    Number of people reporting a reduction of stress, anxiety and/or symptoms of depression
    •    Number of people reporting an increased ability to reduce their loneliness and isolation

    3.   Improved community cohesion:
    •    Number of people reporting that they feel an increased sense of belonging in their community
    •    Number of people taking up work or volunteer placement/experience opportunities
    •    Number of people reporting an increased awareness and understanding of other cultures
    •    Number of people reporting increased awareness of community services to engage with

Geographic Spread & Diversity
Tower Hamlets Council aims to achieve a good geographical spread of events taking place across the
borough, as well as the diversity of applicant organisation’s leadership team to ensure that
organisations are representative of local demographics.

The Loneliness Fund aims to support a variety of organisations and activities that reach a wide
community audience including Black, Asian and minority community residents, people with disabilities,
learning disabled people, Gypsies and Travellers, LGBTQIA+ residents, and people with mental health
issues or long-term health issues.

Who Can Apply?
The fund is open to all voluntary and community organisations. These are defined as:
    • Registered charities
    • Community groups
    • Community associations
    • Tenants and residents’ groups
    • Green spaces friends’ groups
    • Co-operatives and social enterprises
    • School/parent groups which are independent of the schools they work with
    • Faith organisations
    • Sports, environmental, arts and heritage organisations
    • Housing associations

We cannot accept applications from:
   • For-profit organisations
   • Individuals seeking funding for personal benefit, or sole traders
   • Organisations based outside the UK

If you are unclear whether your organisation is eligible to apply, please contact the EECF Grants Team at
grants@eastendcf.org. The Grants Team is happy to help in answering any questions and providing
advice on applying for a grant.

What We Will Fund
You can apply for funding to cover project activities, and staffing, running costs related to the project, as
well as the purchase of any equipment you may need. Funds can be used to fund a whole project, or to
pay for elements of a wider project. We can fund a mix of project activities, operating costs,
organisational development, and capital costs. However, the core aims, and outcomes of the project
must link directly to the priorities of the Loneliness Fund.

What We Won’t Fund
    •   Expenditure or activities that have already taken place
    •   Religious or political activity (we are able to fund religious organisations if they are providing
        events for the wider community)
    •   Activities where a profit will be distributed for private gain or projects that have no charitable or
        community element
    •   Activity that replaces government funding or is a statutory responsibility, for example, we can
        only fund school activities that are additional to the curriculum
    •   Activities that benefit individuals, rather than a wider community
    •   Retrospective costs and loan repayments
    •   Foreign travel

Supporting Documents
To enable us to consider your application you must attach the relevant supporting documents to your
online application. Alternatively, you can send these by email to grants@eastendcf.org. All supporting
documents must be submitted by the application deadline.

Please ensure you have the following documents ready to submit:
    • Constitution or articles of association
    • Names and addresses of trustees/management committee members (for constituted voluntary
        organisations only)
    • Approved accounts or a record of income and expenditure for the organisation
    • One bank statement dated within the last 3 months
    • Equality & Diversity Policy*
    • Safeguarding Policy (If applicable)

* Tower Hamlets Council and East End Community Foundation are committed to equality and equal
opportunities for all, and we expect groups and organisations to show that they are aware of equal
opportunities and can demonstrate commitment to them. Accordingly, organisations applying for grants
are required to submit their Equality and Diversity Policy with their application.

Application Timetable
The Loneliness Fund is open from the 27th September. Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any
time prior to the deadline, which is 12 noon on Monday 18th October 2021.

To submit an Expression of Interest, please click here.

Expressions of Interest (EOI) will be reviewed by EECF and Tower Hamlets Council and then prioritised
against the Loneliness Fund priorities and outcomes. You will be notified of the outcome of your EOI on
Monday 1st November. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application by Friday 12th
November.

Project Delivery and Monitoring
If your application is successful funded projects must:

    •   Take place over a period of no more than 12-months
    •   Demonstrate how the proposed activities will address the Loneliness Fund priorities and have
        a measurable and lasting impact on local residents
    •   Have a contingency plan should social distancing measures be re-instated at the time of delivery
    •   Have demonstrable outcomes related to the priorities of the Loneliness theme (please see
        below)

You will need to keep financial records of how the grant is spent including receipts and invoices for
expenditure. You will also be required to keep records how many people benefit, and the difference the
project has made to them. This information must be submitted in an end of grant report.

You will need to keep and provide the following:

    •   Financial records of how the grant is spent, including receipts and invoices
    •   Records and evidence of the identified outputs e.g. number of people benefiting, number of
        sessions, audience numbers, records of attendance.
    •   Records of the identified outcomes e.g. the difference the project has made to participants,
        participant feedback, staff observations, external reports from partners
    •   Anything that your organisation has learned from delivering the activities
    •   Photographs and videos of the project activities (if appropriate)
    •   A case story from at least one participant

The contribution of Tower Hamlets Council must be acknowledged in any promotional literature or
annual report issued on your behalf within twelve months of receiving the grant or any instalment of the
grant. EECF and Tower Hamlets Council reserve the right to use any photographs or details of the
project in any future literature and/or promotion.