Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support charities during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans are in place to ensure the future of charities once normal trading conditions are returned to.

The £750 million funding package announced on 8 April will support front line charities providing vital services and helping vulnerable people affected by Covid-19.

DCMS is now working with NLCF to design the eligibility, application and assessment criteria for funding and we expect the application system for this fund to be operational shortly.

The government will also be providing match funding for funds raised through the BBC’s Big Night In, held on the 23rd April with Comic Relief and Children in Need, of which £20 million will go to the National Emergencies Trust appeal supporting local charities through the UK Community Foundation network.

We are proactively engaging across the sector, to maintain a complete picture of the impact of coronavirus on charities. We have also started to consider potential scenarios for the post COVID-19 recovery phase and how government and civil society can best respond to them.