Coronavirus resilience
Our premises, like many of your workplaces, are closed at present due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. We hope that everyone is doing well in these difficult times. During the early days of the UK lockdown it became apparent to all that the immediate and long-term impact on culture and community will be hard. We aim to support the community where we can and provide below some initial guidance on where to seek financial support. Please let us know of any additional information available to individuals, businesses and communities and we’ll add onto our database. We wish all our partners and friends well.
**UPDATE ON GOVERNMENT JOB SUPPORT SCHEME - SEPT 2020**
The Government has announced a package of new measures aimed at helping workers affected by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, including a new Job Support Scheme which will contribute to some employees' wages and a limited extension of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
Here are the key announcements:
The new Job Support Scheme will replace furlough and last six months. Employees must work at least a third of their normal hours and if they earn under £38,000/yr, should receive at least 77% of their income in total.
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme has been extended for six months, but at a much lower level. Those eligible will get 20% of their average trading profits, capped at £1,875, in the first three months.
Self assessment taxpayers can now delay payments further. Tax due by 31 January 2021 can now be paid over the following 12 months instead.
Businesses have been given longer to repay Bounce Back Loans. New and existing loans can now be repaid over 10 years, with payment holidays and interest-only repayment periods also available.
A UK Government Factsheet on the Job Support Scheme is available by clicking link below:
Financial Options for Funding and Sustaining Business Coronavirus Planning 2020
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: all UK employers will be able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis (furlough).
HMRC Time to Pay service: all businesses and self-employed people in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, may be eligible to receive support with their tax affairs through HMRC’s Time To Pay service. These arrangements are agreed on a case-by-case basis.
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme: temporary support SMEs with access to loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance. The government will also make a Business Interruption Payment to cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any lender-levied fees, so smaller businesses will benefit from no upfront costs and lower initial repayments.
Statutory Sick Pay relief package for small and medium sized businesses: this refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of COVID-19, employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible - employers will be able to reclaim expenditure for any employee who has claimed SSP (according to the new eligibility criteria) as a result of COVID-19, employees will not need to provide a GP fit note. If evidence is required by an employer, those with symptoms of coronavirus can get an isolation note from NHS 111 online and those who live with someone that has symptoms can get a note from the NHS website.
Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF): to support organisations across the third sector who are at risk of closure due to a sharp decrease in income or that are unable to deliver their services during this difficult period to third sector organisations that already deliver services and/or products but find themselves in financial difficulties directly as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The funding’s primary intention is to help these organisations to stabilise and manage cashflows over this difficult period.
To be eligible, interested organisations must be:
a charity, social enterprise or voluntary organisation based in Scotland and/or primarily delivering services/activities in Scottish communities;
already delivering those products or services prior to March 2020;
and needing funding to stabilise cashflows directly as a result of the impact of COVID-19, as opposed to pre-existing financial difficulties
The Fund will be delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and the Corra Foundation and will provide grants between £5,000-£100,000. Applications for the Third Sector Resilience Fund opened on Wednesday 25th March.
Supporting Communities Fund: available to community organisations including those that are not registered charities to support small scale community resilience. The fund will be allocated through community anchor organisations that are already playing a key active role in providing services within the community and will likely have established networking and connections through the communities.
Wellbeing Fund: fund is to enable national and local action by third sector organisations to reach the most vulnerable groups. The fund will identify and support community led responses to COVID – 19 in their area and identify vulnerable groups to take proactive action to ensure that there are responses to support them.
National Emergencies Trust: The National Emergencies Trust has set up a Coronavirus Appeal to raise funds for local charities and grassroots organisations that can provide vital support to people in the quickest way possible. Funds are being sought from members of the public, corporate donors, charitable trusts, community fundraising, and existing and new government funding programmes. Funds will be distributed by community foundations, in Scotland this is Foundation Scotland.
Creative Scotland Funding: Creative Scotland have launched three funding programmes designed to provide further support to sustain the country’s creative community during the COVID-19 outbreak:
- Creative Scotland Bridging Bursary Fund - NOW CLOSED
- Screen Scotland Bridging Bursary Fund
- Open Fund: Sustaining Creative Development