JRF - Coronavirus: supporting our partners

23 Mar 2020 02:07 PM

Many are deeply concerned about the fast-moving situation with Coronavirus. At JRF we know we are a just and compassionate society, and we rely on one another for support in difficult times.

If you are a current recipient of JRF funding - in the form of a grant, funding award, contract or letter of agreement - we would like to reassure you that we understand that these exceptional circumstances may affect you in a number of ways, including the timing and delivery of the work you do for us.

We are also acutely aware of the additional pressures facing smaller charities, self-employed contractors, freelancers and small and medium enterprises. People on low incomes face particular challenges and some of our current partnerships involve working closely with people with direct experience of poverty and we are concerned about their health and wellbeing too.

With that in mind, please be reassured that we understand organisations will be affected in different ways, and will need different support, so we are committed to working with you flexibly with regards to current funding agreements/contracts. We will listen and work with you to agree adjustments to help you get through this difficult time. For example:

• We are able to accommodate changes to timelines to make sure they are realistic, particularly with regards to research report deadlines and especially where fieldwork is proposed.
• We are able to consider and accommodate changes you wish to propose to activity in order to respond to the current situation.
• We are able to consider reasonable requests for financial flexibility in a variety of ways, so please have the conversation with us.

But you may have other needs and we would like to hear from you so we can consider what else we can do to support you in the short and longer term.

We are reaching out across our network of grantees, partners and stakeholders to understand how they are already responding to COVID-19 and what we can additionally do to support them in the short and longer term.

We are also speaking to partners about how best we can support people and places in poverty who risk being pulled under further by this situation.

Please do email us or get in touch with your usual JRF contact.