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The Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland has today announced it made grants totalling £8.4million last year. This takes the overall amount awarded by the Community Foundation since being established in 1988 to nearly £170 million.
The £8.4m was distributed over 1,253 grants made to 622 organisations and 91 individuals across Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, with a small percentage made to organisations across the wider north east region and beyond. It included nearly £140,000 in grants as part of the foundation’s first ever participatory grant-making programme– focusing on Sunderland. It saw the Foundation hand decision-making on issues funding should address and which organisations got grants to local people.
Rob Williamson, OBE DL, Chief Executive of the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, said:
“We know it is a challenging time for many small, local charities and community organisations. So, I’m delighted that the Community Foundation was able to make such an important difference through funding of £8.4 million in the year to March 2024. That would not have been possible without the continued generosity of our expanding family of donors and partners – both those here and those joining our new network of expat supporters – who all remain passionate about giving back to our area’s people and places.”
Community Foundation grants are made possible through generous individual, family and business donors as well as through funding programmes run in partnership with national and local government, the NHS and other charitable grant-makers.
Last year the Community Foundation expanded its donor base through the launch of its North East Roots Fund encouraging people from the North East who have moved away but want to give something back. The fund has already raised over £350,000 with an offer from donor Anne Reece to match £150,000 of donations £ for £ in 2024.
The Community Foundation doesn’t only provide grants. Its Sector Support programme provided support to nearly 400 organisations through pro-bono advice and training. A range of Community Foundation partners contributed their time and expertise, including Accenture, Muckle LLP, Book Direct, Occulus HR, Zenith People, ION Consulting and Unite Group.
The work of the Community Foundation was also recognised at the very end of the year when it became the first funder in the UK to get a triple A score from The Foundation Practice Rating (FPR). FPR assesses UK charitable funders on diversity, accountability and transparency criteria.
Rob Williamson added:
“We are delighted to get a triple-A rating from FPR to add to the achievements throughout the year. But we’re not complacent and know we have more we can and should do. We are currently releasing our latest Vital Signs North East research looking at a range of issues the region faces and much of it makes stark reading. We’ll be using that research to encourage donors and decision-makers to make the north east a better place to live.”