Government recognises the dedicated charities and volunteers who have played a huge role in the national effort against coronavirus. From supporting the NHS, delivering food, tackling loneliness and social isolation and much more, they have delivered vital work throughout this pandemic.

That is why we provided an unprecedented multi-billion-pound package of support for charities and other civil society organisations and secured an exemption from the Covid-19 restrictions for essential volunteering.

Examples of DCMS funding awarded to registered charities in Newport West include:

• £1,900 to St David’s Foundation Hospice Care

• £2,934 to Sparkle (South Wales) Limited

• £2,000 to Pillgwenlly Millennium Trust Limited

• £20,000 to Faith Christian Center UK

For more information on grants awarded, please see the COVID-19 Grants Tracker published by 360 Giving.

Charities and volunteers have played a huge role in the national effort against coronavirus. We recognise that the restrictions that have been necessary over the last year have impacted on the ability of many in the charity and social enterprise sectors to generate income, including from fundraising. We continue to assess the impact of the pandemic on the sector, drawing on a range of sources of intelligence and data.

Government has worked with the Fundraising Regulator and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising to produce guidance around safe fundraising practises, in line with Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and subsequent lifting of restrictions. This guidance was produced to allow the sector to maximise opportunities for fundraising activities to take place at all stages of the pandemic, in a safe and responsible way. My officials will continue to work with the Fundraising Regulator and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising to support safe and responsible fundraising to take place, recognising that this will be vital in helping charities to rebuild their income streams in the months ahead.

Of the £750 million package for charities and voluntary organisations, £200 million was allocated to the Department for Health and Social Care specifically for hospices, and £60 million was allocated to the Devolved Administrations. £160 million was distributed by a range of government departments to organisations working in their sectors.

In total, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was responsible for administering £347 million (which includes £17 million additional funding in relation to the Big Night In).

As at the end of the first quarter of 2021/22, £0.19 million has been identified as underspend from the funding administered by DCMS. A small number of grants are not closed down so it is possible that additional underspends may arise.

Government recognises the huge contribution of charities in the national effort against coronavirus. It has provided a multi-billion-pound package of support for Britain's charities to continue their vital services, including for those self-isolating.

My Department has awarded nearly £7 million in grant funding to the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP), a partnership of sector organisations established in 2017 to respond to domestic emergencies. The grant includes over £1.5 million for onward grants to over 200 local grassroots organisations. The current grant runs to March 2022 and is in part in recognition of the VCSEP’s and voluntary sector’s work to help people who need to self-isolate.

My Department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the NHS Volunteer Responders scheme, which continues to provide support to those who are isolated at home. We have also been working with DHSC and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop the Self Isolation Practical Support Framework, which supports local authorities to collaborate with the voluntary and community sector to support people who are self-isolating.

The government fully recognises the difficulties Covid-19 has imposed on charities and in particular those charities that support young people and has taken a number of actions to mitigate these.

On 8 April 2020 the Chancellor announced a £750 million funding package for charities. This included £360 million of targeted funding for charities unable to furlough their staff due to the provision of vital services. In addition, part of this package included an open fund aimed at smaller charities and social enterprises working with vulnerable people affected by the crisis in England delivered through the National Lottery Community Fund.

One example is the £16.5m Youth Covid-19 Support Fund established by my department. This fund supported 551 grassroots youth clubs, uniformed youth groups, and national youth and umbrella organisations, helping to mitigate the impact of lost income during the winter period due to the coronavirus pandemic and ensure that services providing vital support to young people remain open.

In addition, the National Citizen Service continues to provide adventures away from home and skills for life and work for tens of thousands of young people every year. It has an established network of c.120 suppliers, more than three quarters of which are charities. It directly and indirectly supports c.10,000 youth sector jobs and provides vital support to young people. This summer, that has included two-week programmes focused on life skills, employability, and social action alongside the Changemaker programme, where young people volunteer in their local communities.

With specific regard to disrupted education, out-of-school settings, such as youth clubs, supplementary schools and extracurricular clubs – including those that are charities – can currently offer provision to all children, without restriction on the reasons for which they may attend. It is the government’s priority that these providers can continue to deliver face-to-face, high quality activities and tuition to all children and young people.

These settings have continued to be open throughout the pandemic, for vulnerable children and children of critical workers in particular; and we have provided updated guidance for these settings to support them to operate as safely as possible.

Businesses have played a significant role in supporting charities up and down the country during the pandemic. Officials in my department and across government, have held a number of conversations with business and charity sector representatives throughout the pandemic.

Government has published guidance for businesses setting out how they can best support the charity sector, and separate guidance for civil society organisations on how to access support. This included information on pro-bono professional services, digital support to aid service transformation, enabling staff volunteering, and funding. Government has also linked up businesses with suitable brokers, including Business in the Community and Volunteering Matters. These brokers have specialist skills in making connections between businesses and charities.

Government recognises the huge contribution of charities and civil society in the national effort against coronavirus, and the significant challenges that many have experienced. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the £750 million package for charities and voluntary organisations.

DCMS is committed to working with sector representatives on shared priorities for supporting a strong, sustainable and healthy sector during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond. We have also awarded grant funding to the VCS Emergency Partnership to help provide vital on-going coordination and insights-building within the voluntary sector. This included funding to the National Association of Voluntary and Community Associations (NAVCA) of more than £1.5 million for onward grants to over 200 local grassroots organisations.

My department is also working across government to understand how they are working with and supporting key subsectors, such as community services. We will continue to have ongoing conversations with both the charity sector and key government partners to help monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector.

Government recognises the huge contribution of charities and the voluntary sector in the national effort against coronavirus. It has provided a multi-billion-pound package of support for Britain's charities to continue their vital services, including for those self-isolating.

Charities continue to benefit from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and many will have benefited from government grants where they have been required to close non-essential retail. This support is in addition to the £750 million targeted support package which has helped over 13,000 organisations continue to maintain vital services for those most affected by the pandemic.

At this time, government does not have plans to offer additional targeted funding for these sectors, but does continue to monitor sector health closely. The government is committed to working with charity sector representatives to support a strong and resilient sector.

Effective and responsible fundraising underpins the success of the charity sector, and is essential for charities’ independence. Face to face (direct debit) fundraising is self-regulated by the Fundraising Regulator and there are no national official figures on volumes. The Fundraising Regulator stands up for best practice in fundraising, in order to protect donors and support the vital work of fundraisers.

Direct Debit fundraising does not require licences or permits, however the fundraiser must meet Chartered Institute of Fundraising site management agreements that are in place with the local authority for regular face-to-face fundraising on the street. These Site Management Agreements (SMA) set controls on where and when fundraising can take place.

If members of the public are concerned that a group or individuals are acting fraudulently they should report this matter to their local police force. They can also complain to the Fundraising Regulator.

Government continues to encourage and support collaborative work between the charity sector, licensing and enforcement agencies in an effort to curb unlicensed or bogus collections.

The government understands that the pandemic has created significant challenges for many in the charity sector. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, to protect against job losses in the sector.

There is no single source of data which can provide a real time picture of the financial and operational health of the sector. Government is therefore drawing evidence from a range of sources in order to shape our understanding of the overall impact.

A number of established surveys are providing a picture of the nuanced impact of the pandemic on financial outlook, workforce and levels of service delivery. These include the Covid-19 Voluntary Sector Impact Barometer from Nottingham Trent and Sheffield Hallam Universities, and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. While some respondents indicate increased financial and operation hardship, many others report a stable or improving position.

The Charity Commission has started to provide intelligence on the impact on reserves emerging from charitable returns, indicating the number of organisations with negative or no reserves has increased over the last year. My department is also continuing to gather intelligence from departments across government to understand risks and issues relating to critical services provided by charities and how these are being addressed.

My department will continue to monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector, and will explore ways to strengthen the evidence available to support our assessment. The government is working with the partners in the sector to shape a forward looking agenda that will support a strong and resilient civil society.

The government understands that the pandemic has created significant challenges for many in the charity sector. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, to protect against job losses in the sector.

There is no single source of data which can provide a real time picture of the financial and operational health of the sector. Government is therefore drawing evidence from a range of sources in order to shape our understanding of the overall impact.

A number of established surveys are providing a picture of the nuanced impact of the pandemic on financial outlook, workforce and levels of service delivery. These include the Covid-19 Voluntary Sector Impact Barometer from Nottingham Trent and Sheffield Hallam Universities, and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. While some respondents indicate increased financial and operation hardship, many others report a stable or improving position.

The Charity Commission has started to provide intelligence on the impact on reserves emerging from charitable returns, indicating the number of organisations with negative or no reserves has increased over the last year. My department is also continuing to gather intelligence from departments across government to understand risks and issues relating to critical services provided by charities and how these are being addressed.

My department will continue to monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector, and will explore ways to strengthen the evidence available to support our assessment. The government is working with the partners in the sector to shape a forward looking agenda that will support a strong and resilient civil society.

The government understands that the pandemic has created significant challenges for many in the charity sector. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, to protect against job losses in the sector.

There is no single source of data which can provide a real time picture of the financial and operational health of the sector. Government is therefore drawing evidence from a range of sources in order to shape our understanding of the overall impact.

A number of established surveys are providing a picture of the nuanced impact of the pandemic on financial outlook, workforce and levels of service delivery. These include the Covid-19 Voluntary Sector Impact Barometer from Nottingham Trent and Sheffield Hallam Universities, and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. While some respondents indicate increased financial and operation hardship, many others report a stable or improving position.

The Charity Commission has started to provide intelligence on the impact on reserves emerging from charitable returns, indicating the number of organisations with negative or no reserves has increased over the last year. My department is also continuing to gather intelligence from departments across government to understand risks and issues relating to critical services provided by charities and how these are being addressed.

My department will continue to monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector, and will explore ways to strengthen the evidence available to support our assessment. The government is working with the partners in the sector to shape a forward looking agenda that will support a strong and resilient civil society.

The government understands that the pandemic has created significant challenges for many in the charity sector. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, to protect against job losses in the sector.

There is no single source of data which can provide a real time picture of the financial and operational health of the sector. Government is therefore drawing evidence from a range of sources in order to shape our understanding of the overall impact.

A number of established surveys are providing a picture of the nuanced impact of the pandemic on financial outlook, workforce and levels of service delivery. These include the Covid-19 Voluntary Sector Impact Barometer from Nottingham Trent and Sheffield Hallam Universities, and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. While some respondents indicate increased financial and operation hardship, many others report a stable or improving position.

The Charity Commission has started to provide intelligence on the impact on reserves emerging from charitable returns, indicating the number of organisations with negative or no reserves has increased over the last year. My department is also continuing to gather intelligence from departments across government to understand risks and issues relating to critical services provided by charities and how these are being addressed.

My department will continue to monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector, and will explore ways to strengthen the evidence available to support our assessment. The government is working with the partners in the sector to shape a forward looking agenda that will support a strong and resilient civil society.

The government understands that the pandemic has created significant challenges for many in the charity sector. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, to protect against job losses in the sector.

There is no single source of data which can provide a real time picture of the financial and operational health of the sector. Government is therefore drawing evidence from a range of sources in order to shape our understanding of the overall impact.

A number of established surveys are providing a picture of the nuanced impact of the pandemic on financial outlook, workforce and levels of service delivery. These include the Covid-19 Voluntary Sector Impact Barometer from Nottingham Trent and Sheffield Hallam Universities, and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. While some respondents indicate increased financial and operation hardship, many others report a stable or improving position.

The Charity Commission has started to provide intelligence on the impact on reserves emerging from charitable returns, indicating the number of organisations with negative or no reserves has increased over the last year. My department is also continuing to gather intelligence from departments across government to understand risks and issues relating to critical services provided by charities and how these are being addressed.

My department will continue to monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector, and will explore ways to strengthen the evidence available to support our assessment. The government is working with the partners in the sector to shape a forward looking agenda that will support a strong and resilient civil society.

The government understands that the pandemic has created significant challenges for many in the charity sector. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, to protect against job losses in the sector.

There is no single source of data which can provide a real time picture of the financial and operational health of the sector. Government is therefore drawing evidence from a range of sources in order to shape our understanding of the overall impact.

A number of established surveys are providing a picture of the nuanced impact of the pandemic on financial outlook, workforce and levels of service delivery. These include the Covid-19 Voluntary Sector Impact Barometer from Nottingham Trent and Sheffield Hallam Universities, and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. While some respondents indicate increased financial and operation hardship, many others report a stable or improving position.

The Charity Commission has started to provide intelligence on the impact on reserves emerging from charitable returns, indicating the number of organisations with negative or no reserves has increased over the last year. My department is also continuing to gather intelligence from departments across government to understand risks and issues relating to critical services provided by charities and how these are being addressed.

My department will continue to monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector, and will explore ways to strengthen the evidence available to support our assessment. The government is working with the partners in the sector to shape a forward looking agenda that will support a strong and resilient civil society.

This Government has provided a multi-billion-pound package of support for Britain's charities to continue their vital work and mitigate the risks created by the pandemic.

Charities continue to benefit from the extension of cross-economy support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

We continue to monitor sector health closely. Government is working with charity sector representatives to shape a future programme of work to support a strong and resilient charity sector.

Government recognises the huge contribution of charities in the national effort against coronavirus, and the significant challenges that many have experienced.

My department continues to work closely with other government departments, academic institutions and stakeholders to review evidence on the impact of ongoing restrictions on charities in terms of financial resilience and demand for services.

The sector continues to benefit from a multi-billion-pound package of government support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The Government has provided a £750 million package for charities and social enterprises, which has helped support organisations providing key services to those most in need. Many organisations have used funding to make changes that will continue to benefit their work over the longer term.

Government recognises the huge contribution of charities in the national effort against coronavirus, and the significant challenges that many have experienced.

My department continues to work closely with other government departments, academic institutions and stakeholders to review evidence on the impact of ongoing restrictions on charities in terms of financial resilience and demand for services.

The sector continues to benefit from a multi-billion-pound package of government support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The Government has provided a £750 million package for charities and social enterprises, which has helped support organisations providing key services to those most in need. Many organisations have used funding to make changes that will continue to benefit their work over the longer term.

The £750 million sector funding package offered unprecedented support to allow charities and social enterprises to continue their vital work and adapt their service delivery to support our national response to the pandemic. £35m of the £750m funding package has been spent on tackling loneliness. This includes:

• Big Night In - £1,174,257

• Coronavirus Community Support Fund - £17,228,490

• Community Match Challenge - £3,344,170

• VCSE Winter Loneliness Fund - £7,512,143

• Comprising: a £2m uplift to the Loneliness Covid-19 Fund; £5.03m to Arts Council England (including £3.5m to The Reading Agency); £300k to the Audio Content Fund; and £200k to the Community Radio Fund.

• Other Government Departments - £5,725,743

• Includes the £5m Loneliness Covid-19 Fund, launched May 2020, to enable national organisations working to tackle loneliness and build social connections to continue and adapt their critical wor

All of the above funding had been spent by 31st March 2021.

In addition to this, we have launched the £4m Local Connections Fund, in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund, to provide targeted funding to small grassroots organisations, to build relationships in communities to help reduce loneliness. £2m of government funding was spent by 31st March 2021, and the second round comprising £2m of Lottery Funding will be launched on 28th June 2021. This funding was from DCMS core budgets.

The £750 million sector funding package offered unprecedented support to allow charities and social enterprises to continue their vital work and adapt their service delivery to support our national response to the pandemic.

The financial reconciliation for the financial year ending 31 March 2021 is currently being completed. This process will determine any underspends on the VCSE Covid-19 Support Package which may need to be returned to the Exchequer.

Over the past year, DCMS has been as flexible as possible under the terms of the grant agreements to allow charities to repurpose or reprofile funding in order to meet the needs of their communities arising from the pandemic, and minimise potential underspends.