Coronavirus: Sign Language COVID-19 Support Fund
Financial help is available to community and linguistic organisations and self-employed sign language support workers
The Sign Language COVID-19 Support Fund is now closed to applications.
The fund was open for applications from Wednesday 4 November to 5pm on Tuesday 1 December 2020.
The £430,000 fund provides grants to the sign language sector to support the survival, maintenance and sustainability of the local sign language infrastructure impacted by COVID-19.
Grants are available to both organisations and self-employed sign language support workers to continue their work in support of the deaf community throughout the current crisis and beyond.
The fund is part of the £29 million Executive allocation that was made to Department for Communities to support the arts, culture, heritage and language sectors which have been severely impacted by COVID-19.
Eligibility criteria
Applications are invited from:
- self-employed individuals (for example, tutors, translators, interpreters, technical support staff and sign language researchers)
- community and linguistic organisations
You will need to demonstrate that:
- a significant part of your income is from sign language practice
- you are currently experiencing difficulties due to work restrictions imposed by COVID-19 protocols
Organisations who have worked to promote British Sign Language (BSL) / Irish Sign Language (ISL) and sign language development can apply for financial support for initiatives which meet the criteria.
Eligible activities
Activities eligible for support include:
- capacity building - including leadership development, marketing and business sustainability
- digital enhancement for on-line learning and promotion and modifications to events, plans and equipment to ensure COVID-19 public health compliance
Eligible areas for funding include:
- to deliver a COVID Relief and Recovery Fund to mitigate loss of income and contribute to core running costs for organisations and self-employed interpreters, translators, tutors and session workers which may include funding for professional body fees and small equipment purchases to enable transition to online working (eg headsets, blue screens etc)
- to increase sector's capacity to deliver support through BSL/ISL
- to support Online Family Sign Language Courses and accredited BSL/ISL courses which provide for continued and enhanced employment opportunities for deaf tutors, session workers
- to develop the sector's capacity for sustainability and renewal during and post- COVID-19 restrictions
- to facilitate digitisation of BSL/ISL cultural and linguistic material for open online release
- to assist the development of social media/online interpretation/translation of COVID-19 information through BSL/ISL
First published 10 November 2020