FUNDING AND FUNDRAISING UPDATE

Here’s how our organisation is managing finances to deliver vital support during the Covid-19 disruption.

In the 45 days since we postponed our face-to-face activities, Big Hearts has secured new grants to develop digital support and extend our reach to local people who are at higher risk of loneliness, social exclusion and food poverty due to lockdown and school closures.

This additional funding includes:

• Scottish Government Community Wellbeing Fund (STV Appeal): to deliver support to groups most in need via dedicated helplines, food deliveries and regular activity packs distributed to older people and families in South West Edinburgh.
• Foundation Scotland (National Emergencies Trust): for additional digital resources and staff costs associated with the online delivery of Big Hearts’ main programmes.
• Radio Forth Cash for Kids: to help support a group of local school pupils over 12 weeks with activities & food parcels, as part of Big Hearts’ School’s Out! project.
• Who Cares? Scotland: to offer vulnerable Kinship Carers practical relief in buying groceries, paying utility bills or purchasing household essentials.
• The North British Distillery: additional contribution as part of our ‘charity of the year’ partnership, allowing us to assist young people over the summer holidays.

With short-term support secured, Big Hearts is now looking into ways to address the expected fundraising loss from major community events like the Edinburgh Marathon Festival – and what this means for the charity in the long term.

Caryn Kerr, our Fundraising & Development Manager, explains:
“As a charitable organisation we have to look towards the end of the year to see how we can maintain our existing activity whilst potentially helping even more people post-lockdown.

With all our fundraising events being postponed until after the summer, our main challenge is minimising the long-term impact to our charity’s income. We know Big Hearts Supporters can play a role in community fundraising and we hope to find the right ways for them to get involved. We’ll announce more in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I would like to thank all our funders and partners along with every supporter who made a donation to Big Hearts in the past month, however big or small. A special thanks also goes to our neighbours at The North British Distillery for their continued support.”

Got any questions about fundraising? Email caryn.kerr@bighearts.org.uk