To meet our vision, we need a strong civil society: people coming together to do things not to make a profit, or because the law makes them, but because they want to - out of care for others, to do something creative, or to pursue a principle or passion. Charities and community organisations are the backbone of civil society. So, our ambition is to be the region's most trusted and effective charitable foundation, supporting small, local charities and community organisations through more and better philanthropy.
The Community Foundation grows giving and philanthropy, matching generous people with our region's important community causes. We do this by
We are a registered charity and limited company governed by a board of trustees made up of leaders from the business, philanthropy, public and charity sectors. Most trustees are elected from among our members. The Duke of Northumberland is our honorary President. He serves alongside Vice-Presidents and Patrons and our other ambassadors and volunteer panel members. Our expert staff team runs the Foundation from our office, Philanthropy House in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Click to find out more about our people, our values, our ambassadors and volunteers and about becoming a member. You can also read more about our impact, download resources about our work and get information on media and publicity.
There are nearly 1,800 community foundations across the globe. All are independent charities dedicated to making a difference in a particular city, county or region.
We are the largest in the UK. Established in 1988 as the Tyne & Wear Foundation, we later expanded to include Northumberland. Now our work increasingly takes in the wider North East of England.