Survive to Thrive Fund Launches
Guy Readman OBE at Connect: Wheels to Work in South Tyneside
Today the Community Foundation is launching a new fund to support voluntary and community organisations that are facing reductions in public funding at a level that threatens their useful existence. The Survive to Thrive Fund was initiated by Guy Readman OBE, a long-standing donor to the Community Foundation, who invited other Foundation donors to join him to create an innovative fund that will address some of the acute issues currently facing voluntary organisations.
Echoing the successful regional awareness campaign by VONNE around voluntary sector funding, Survive to Thrive will not simply support existing work, rather it will help organisations by giving them the opportunity to think, reflect and adapt to changing circumstances.
Donations from the Sir Tom Cowie Fund and an anonymous donor mean Survive to Thrive can start work. As Guy says:
“We are all aware that when government bodies cut spending they tend to be a blunt instrument. I have increasingly been thinking how it is likely that some very good voluntary sector charities will have substantial funding withdrawn such as to threaten their useful existence. I am particularly concerned with those smaller organisations employing maybe one or two staff who are unlikely to have had the time or the experience to foresee and act in advance.”
Rob Williamson, Chief Executive of the Community Foundation, adds:
“These are challenging times for the sector, and the Survive to Thrive Fund is one way we at the Community Foundation are seeking to respond. We hope others who wish to help voluntary organisations respond to their changing circumstances will come on board with further donations, so we can continue to grow the Fund over the coming months to help more groups adjust.”
In the first instance we are inviting applications to Survive to Thrive until 30 November 2011 from organisations with income between £30,000 an £250,000. For full details of how to apply click here. Applicants are strongly advised to discuss their proposal with Derry Nugent, Head of Philanthropy Services prior to submitting an application. Anyone interested in joining with Guy Readman, Sir Tom Cowie and our anonymous donor in growing the fund should also contact Derry.
