Extra funding for Edinburgh’s Third Sector Resilience Fund

The Edinburgh Council announced this week its intention to add an extra £284,192 to the Third Sector Resilience Fund.

In a full Council meeting held on Thursday 28 August, Councillors agreed to make the extra funding available to third sector organisations who are eligible for the Third Sector Resilience Fund following the launch of the fund earlier this year.

The fund was set up as an emergency support measure to address a funding gap left by the closure of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board’s third sector grants programme, and is available to third sector organisations in Edinburgh working to combat poverty in the city who are now facing financial difficulties as a result of the programme closure.

This extra funding comes in addition to the £3 million initially planned, and this announcement comes ahead of the final phase of this funding which is due to be provided this coming winter, providing 31 organisations up to £10,000 towards running costs.

The Fund itself has been welcomed by organisations across Edinburgh’s third sector impacted by funding challenges, and it certainly goes a long way towards plugging the funding gap for many. However the fund is intended to be a one-off boost, with the hope that it can support organisations long enough to find alternative sources of funding or to make organisational changes; therefore the future for many organisations in the city does remain tenuous.

Benjamin Napier, speaking on behalf of the Third Sector Reference Group, said:

“I’d like to give my thanks to council officers for their excellent role working very effectively with the third sector to make sure funding gets out quickly.

“There has been a diligent approach to how we work together and the key now is to look at the next stages of funding.”

The Council’s leader, Jane Meagher, said:

“The £3m we’ve provided in emergency funding has been vital at a time when the cost of living is high.

“This final allocation of funding will support even more projects, from advice for young parents to help with clothes and funeral costs.

“It’s never been more important to reset the relationship between the public and third sectors and I’m proud of the work we’ve carried out to truly listen to and learn from those involved, so that we can work to get it right.”