Further £3m given to Grenfell fire victims in past week, commission’s data shows

A total of £5.8m of the £19m raised has now been distributed, according to the regulator

An additional £3m has been distributed to victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in the past week, according to new data released by the Charity Commission.

Last week the commission announced that just £2.8m of the £19m raised for Grenfell Tower victims had been distributed to those affected.

But commission data released last night shows that £5.8m has now reached the people who need it, although that still represents less than a third of the money that has been raised so far.

The amount that has been given to distributors by groups fundraising for the Grenfell fire victims has also reached £9.2m – an almost £1.9m increase on last week’s total. 

The fire, which occurred in Kensington, west London, on 14 June, killed an estimated 80 people and left many more homeless.

The Charity Commission has also announced that initial payments to the next of kin of those who are believed or known to have died in the fire have been increased from £20,000 to £40,000.

Payments to those seriously injured at Grenfell have also been doubled from £10,000 to £20,000 per person.

The Rugby Portobello Trust will also distribute a £15,000 payment from the London Community Foundation to families from Grenfell Tower in the next few days, the commission said.

Of the funds raised so far, British Red Cross has sent £2.4m of the almost £5.8m it has raised to distributing organisations, and the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation has also sent £2.5m of its £5.8m.

The Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund and the London Community Foundation has sent £3.9m of the £6.2m it has raised to distributing organisations, the commission data shows.

Artists for Grenfell and the London Community Foundation have sent £316,000 of the £700,000 it has raised to distributing organisations, and Muslim Aid has sent £57,713 of its £177,803.

Of the distributing organisations, the London Emergencies Trust has given £1.8m of the £4.8m it has received to victims, and the Rugby Portobello Trust has got £3.3m of the £4m it has to those affected.

Direct distributions from the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, Turn2us, Muslim Aid and the London Community Foundation have all been sent in full to victims of the fire.

Clement James Centre has distributed £58,482 of the £62,923 it has received to victims, and the National Zakat Foundation has handed out all of the £253,080 it has been given to Grenfell victims.

David Holdsworth, registrar of charities in England and Wales, said: “We are pleased that a further £3m has reached survivors and those affected by this terrible tragedy in the last week, and that further funds will be distributed in the coming days. Some challenges still remain but it is important that the charities continue to work with the community and that the remaining funds are made available to meet their short, medium and longer-term needs.”

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Government makes £1m available to Grenfell Tower charities

London Funders will coordinate distribution of the money, and Locality will take charge of another £48,000 from government to support an assistance centre

The government has made £1m available to local charities that are dealing with the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said local charities would receive reimbursement for their immediate response to the Grenfell Tower fire earlier this month.

At least 79 people are dead or missing presumed dead after the fire, which occurred in Kensington, west London.

London Funders, a membership network for funders and investors in London’s voluntary sector, will coordinate the distribution of the money along with a consortium of other trusts and foundations.

The new money is in addition to a £5m discretionary fund for residents of Grenfell Tower that was announced by the government last week.

A further £48,000 from the government will help to provide organisational support for an assistance centre near the tower – located at the Westway Centre – and will be administered by Locality.

Six other charities, as well as London Funders, agreed a joint approach with the Charity Commission last week to provide immediate financial support to victims of the fire.

The next of kin of those killed in the fire will receive an initial £20,000 from the more than £10m donated by the public since the disaster, with those injured receiving £10,000.

People made homeless would receive a £10,000 “fresh start” grant once they were rehoused, the commission said.

The charities involved in the discussions with the commission were the British Red Cross, Muslim Aid, the London Emergencies Trust, the Rugby Portobello Trust, the London Community Foundation and the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation.

Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, said: “The residents of Grenfell Tower have been through some of the most harrowing experiences imaginable and the response from local charities and volunteers has been remarkable.

“This funding will mean that smaller charities and community organisations can continue to make a huge difference. The first payments are in the process of being made and the government will continue to do everything we can as fast as we can to support those affected by this terrible tragedy.”

David Warner, chief executive of London Funders, said: “We are delighted that the DCLG has responded with vital funds to provide immediate support to community groups in Kensington and Chelsea who are supporting those directly affected by the Grenfell fire.

“London Funders, along with a consortium of trusts and foundations, is making sure the money gets to those groups that can best use it as quickly as possible. We have now put in place the processes to make that happen.”

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