The Government has confirmed its commitment to third sector charities and organisations with £15m of grants to help people who have been hit by the recession. The cash will target more than 550 charities and not-for-profit organisations, aimed at limiting the effects of the downturn. They will get grants of up to £40,000 to provide support to their communities through a range of recession-focused services, particularly relating to information and guidance, health and wellbeing, and employment. Ministers believe third sector organisations can help deliver specialist services on behalf of the public sector, as they are usually better connected with hard-to-reach people in society which traditional public services miss. Angela Smith, minister for the third sector, said: ‘In the last six months alone, we have offered help to more than 1,600 frontline organisations, worth a total of £16.7m, but the real help for those voluntary organisations facing serious challenges doesn't stop there. ‘We will continue to offer unprecedented support to the third sector through the major initiatives launched in the Action Plan "Real help for communities".'
