Severn Trent's Community Fund is offering an additional £400,000 to charities for "core costs" funding.

Since 2020, the fund has supported nearly 500 groups, distributing over £3 million, to see them through the blows of both the Coronavirus and the cost-of-living crisis.

However, the funding pot has made room for another £400,000 to help community charities manage their daily expenses in this next round.

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Late in 2023, the Fund Team opened applications for core costs, setting aside £500,000, but was hit with 238 applications totalling over £3.5 million.

The number of requests showed the importance of the financial support, hence the decision to again offer core funding for groups to continue their work.

Applications can now be submitted until midnight on Sunday, September 1.

Paul Evans, Severn Trent's community communications lead, said: "We knew there was a huge need for core funding when we opened applications late last year, but we didn’t know the huge scale of help that was needed by organisations.

"This is exactly why we have made a further £400,000 available for organisations across our region to apply for.

“We have helped hundreds of groups with core costs since the Community Fund launched, which meant that they could be out in the local communities delivering their services and we hope this latest round of funding has the same positive impact.”

From 2020 up until now, the community fund has supported 33 organisations across the county, with £147,140 for core costs including Active Youth Outreach Services and Community Action Malvern & District.

Hannah James, the managing director of Jacks Place Care CIC, said: "We’re absolutely elated that the Severn Trent Community Core Funding recognised our work in this way.

"We’re so grateful for the funding - we are now able to continue to provide a bespoke day care offer in our district for our clients and their families and caregivers.

"This is important because we contribute to the overall wellbeing, development and social inclusion of our clients, whilst also providing much needed support and respite for their families and care givers.”

Any charities or organisations in need can apply for a restricted grant between £5,000 to £20,000, depending on the size of the group, for a year.

To apply for the Community Fund core funding, visit www.stwater.co.uk/corefunding, while applications for new projects can be submitted year-round at www.stwater.co.uk/communityfund.