Providing support to grantees and clients during the COVID-19 emergency

Much has been reported on the response of the voluntary sector to the COVID-19 emergency. The critical role played by charities and other organisations with a social purpose has been a significant part of the national response.

Many of these organisations depend on grants and contracts for the funding to carry out their work. During the COVID-19 crisis, many funders have worked to find the right balance between giving charities the flexibility they need to respond quickly, while at the same time ensuring an appropriate level of accountability.

Ecorys manages grant funds on behalf of several government departments and NGOs. We have supported and guided our clients in making these decisions, often at speed and with our clients themselves facing disruption to their normal ways of working. The support we have provided to the organisations they have funded has allowed them to focus on their activities and keep going during the crisis.

We have:

Supported funded organisations to quickly re-scope funded activities and worked with clients to manage the governance required for this.
Advised clients on planning for the longer term and building in the flexibility needed to manage grant funds in an uncertain future.
Prioritised the processing of payment claims from funding organisations to support cashflow – making the best use of our flexible workforce.
Introduced flexibility in reporting dates and streamlined required paperwork, including implementing alternatives to ‘wet’ signatures.
Considered extensions to grant funding periods where delivery has not been possible during the lockdown.
Explored with clients opportunities for carrying out monitoring and compliance visits remotely.

The future is far from clear and we expect to continue to support our clients and the organisations they are funding in managing the impact of COVID-19 for some time.

Ecorys provide the full cycle of services for grant management including programme design, communications, assessment of applications, awarding grants, helpdesk support, training, capacity building, compliance, monitoring and reporting.

If you would like to talk to us about our grant management services you can contact Russell Peacock, UK Programmes Director, at Russell.Peacock@ecorys.com.