Lambeth Council has advised:

“along with a wider group of funders, Lambeth Council recognises that the covid-19 outbreak is an exceptional event that will have an impact on civil society groups, and want to offer reassurance that we stand with the sector during this time.  

To make good on that pledge Lambeth Council has signed up to London Funders which commits the organisation to taking a flexible, friendly and financially understanding approach when supporting the groups we fund and support.

Councillor Edward Davie, said: “We have taken this step because we want to be as helpful as possible during the coming weeks and months so our grant partners can focus on their vital work. Together with other funders, we have we pledge to remain flexible during these exceptional and difficult times.”

There will be times when staff and volunteers will not be available, when beneficiaries may need services to be provided in different ways, or when systems need to be flexible to ensure that needs are met. If your community, services or organisation are affected by the covid-19 outbreak we committed to:

Adapting activities – we recognise that you may experience difficulties achieving some of the outputs or outcomes we agreed for your grant during the outbreak, and would like to be able to maintain our grant payments to you at originally-agreed levels during this period, so please have a conversation with us if you are affected in this way;

Discussing dates – we don’t want to add pressure, so if you think you will struggle to meet a reporting deadline please get in touch with us so that we can agree a more realistic time for you to get things to us wherever possible;

Financial flexibility – we know you may need to use your funding to help cover sickness, purchase equipment, or deliver services differently, and we will be reasonable if you need to move money between budget headings to ensure your work can continue; and

Listening to you – we are here if you want to talk to us about the situation you’re facing, but we’ll wait for you to call us so that these conversations are at the right time for you.

London Funders recognise that there may be further shocks to the system caused by covid-19 that may impact on income streams, or require a more urgent response from funders. Where we they have any news on emergency funding they commit to publishing this on the London Funders web page so all available programmes can be seen in one place.

To see the current list of funders who have committed to this approach visit https://londonfunders.org.uk/about/covid-19.

For more information in Lambeth Council’s handing of the situation visit www.lambeth.gov.uk/elections-and-council/about-lambeth/coronavirus-covid-19-information”