Social enterprises in Cornwall are being encouraged to apply for their share of the final round of The Social Enterprise Support Fund.

The Social Enterprise Support Fund was established in partnership by The National Lottery Community Fund and five social enterprise support agencies: Big Issue Invest, The Key Fund, Community Land & Finance CIC (also known as Resonance), the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) and UnLtd with support from CAF Venturesome, the Young Foundation and Ashoka.

A total of £18.7 million of National Lottery funding has been committed to the fund, made possible by National Lottery players.

So far £14m has been awarded, or is in the process of being awarded, to 400 social enterprises across England, with the remaining money in place to help social ventures weather the ‘perfect storm’ they face from Covid-19, increased demand for their services, a global recession and the end of short-term Government support.

Eligibility has also been widened for the last round of the fund to include organisations with an annual income of between £20,000 and £1.8million, with grants ranging from £10,000 up to £300,000.

Daniel Brewer, CEO of Resonance, whose headquarters are in Cornwall, said: “From the first two rounds of funding we have seen applications from a diverse range of enterprises from across the South West, who were in critical need of funding to help them recover from Covid-19.

“Their commitment, passion and energy to adapt and react to this crisis, whilst continuing to deliver essential services to their communities and the most vulnerable in society, really has been an inspiration to us.

“This is the final opportunity to apply to the fund, so therefore we are encouraging all enterprises who qualify and require financial support to apply as soon as possible.”

According to recent research, a quarter of social enterprises in the UK have cash flow for just three months or fewer. As the furlough scheme and other short-term support ends, four in ten social enterprises say the outlook for their business over the next six months looks uncertain.

Social Enterprises interested in applying should visit www.socialenterprisesupportfund.org.uk