Government £16.5 million ‘Real Help for Communities’ Modernisation Fund will help third sector organisations be more resilient to the impact of the economic downturn. It is focused on helping organisations providing services to those worst hit by the recession. The funding will help in two main ways:
•Bursaries of £1,000 for organisations to pay for initial advice on how they can become more resilient and work more closely with others to increase their impact, and grants of up to £10,000 to help pay costs involved in moving towards collaboration or merger.
•Interest-free loans of between £30,000 and £500,000 for third sector organisations with existing plans for mergers and collaboration or other activities to help them prepare for difficult times.
