AAPs across County Durham are progressing with their Area Budget allocations for the 2020/21 financial year. Taking into consideration the current challenging situation we all find ourselves in, it has been agreed that there will be a generic focus for the remainder of this financial year on COVID Recovery.
COVID Recovery could mean a number of different things, depending on the environment you are delivering in, and also the community within which your work is carried out.
Taking on board the wide-ranging remit that COVID Recovery could cover, we have provided a more focused list of the types of project we would like to support, which we have agreed locally, to tackle particular issues in the Derwent Valley area given the challenges the pandemic has presented:
Employability
- Projects which create a more entrepreneurial culture within the Derwent Valley area for individuals to consider self-employment as an option.
- Projects which increase the skills base of residents due to the impact of Covid and the increase in unemployment rates.
- Projects which increase the capacity to provide 25+ with employability skills including ICT skills and access to digital equipment.
Advice and guidance
- Projects which work with individuals to tackle issues as well as providing holistic advice, guidance and support services
- Preventative projects which enable communities to think ahead and plan to improve their circumstances. (e.g. managing finances).
- Projects which add value and work in partnership with existing advice and guidance provision.
Physical activity, mental health & wellbeing
- Preventative projects link to suicide prevention and promoting good mental health.
- Projects which will use the local environment for physical activity (walks, cycle paths)
- Physical activity-related projects aimed at reducing obesity levels and supporting a healthy lifestyle.
Organisational Sustainability
- Projects that support community facilities to operate under the current challenging circumstances so they can continue to stay open in the future.
Food provision and support
- Projects that provide services to those most in need and promote awareness of other services to ensure residents feel comfortable accessing it.
- Projects that work in partnership with other providers to make every contact count to support addressing the reasons as to why people need to access such facilities.
Social Isolation
- Projects that facilitate more community engagement and service provision to support people to engage with communities and access services safely.
- Projects that keep all sectors of the community connected with others, ensuring they feel safe, have a purpose and can access support.
- Projects that aim to reduce social isolation within communities.
Support to small businesses (through a third party, not-for-profit organisation to complement existing DCC and external opportunities).
- Projects that provide support which is accessible to the whole of the Derwent Valley SME community
- Project that support the growth of local businesses to create more employment opportunities.
- Projects that enable businesses to trade and operate more digitally.
*Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and there may be other recovery areas that you feel may need to be considered. If this is the case, please speak to a member of the Derwent Valley Partnership team who can advise you further.
Taking the information above into consideration, the Derwent Valley Partnership (DVP) would like to invite not for profit organisations and groups to submit potential project proposals based on one or more of the COVID Recovery themes, and the priority areas highlighted above.
We are looking for projects that can both supplement existing activity and explore new innovative ways of working in a changing landscape. The minimum amount you can apply for is £5,000. Applicants can apply for capital and/or revenue costs.
Please note, projects should not have a start date before the end of January 2021.
*We appreciate that in these current times, restrictions and guidance relating to Covid-19 are ever-changing. Therefore, we accept that there will need to be flexibility offered to applicants in relation to their project proposals which, although being suitable at the time of submission, may require some changes in order to be delivered moving forward.*
The deadline for receiving completed applications is 12 midday on Monday 2nd November 2020
Alongside your application, we would also require the following documentation:
- A recent bank statement- no more than 3 months old
- A copy of your signed constitution/governing document
- A copy of your latest signed accounts
- Quotes for any capital items you wish to be funded
If you are interested in applying to the DVP Covid-19 Recovery Fund, please contact the Derwent Valley Partnership Team via email dvaap@durham.gov.uk or telephone: 07818 510365 to discuss your project idea and to request an application pack.
