Grantee portal 
As we welcome in the new year, we reflect on what has been an impactful and ambitious year for Community Foundation North East.
Throughout 2025, our work continued to be guided by our purpose: to inspire philanthropy, invest in communities, and influence positive change across the region. The year brought together new partnerships, innovative approaches and long-term investment, enabling us to respond to local need while planning for lasting change.
One of the most notable developments was the launch of the Convey Fund, a £3 million legacy established by the executors of Steve and Christine Convey’s estate. In the first round of grant-making, £150,000 was awarded to five organisations supporting young people across Newcastle and south east Northumberland.
Another highlight was managing the Mayor’s Opportunity Fund in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. In the first round of grants, £264,210 was awarded to 33 small charities and community groups working to strengthen inclusion, cohesion and resilience across the North East.
We were also pleased to support the permanent installation of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree at its new home at The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre in Northumberland. Made possible through collective giving via the North East Roots Fund, this project demonstrated the power of philanthropy to protect and preserve the cultural memory of the tree.
In 2025, we also introduced a new name and strategy, setting a clear direction for the future. Informed by our experience, research and community conversations, we identified five key regional challenges where philanthropy and funding can make the greatest difference. The five areas are: tackling poverty, widening access to opportunity, improving health and community safety, strengthening culture and community life, and sustaining our environment.
Reflecting on the year, Rob Williamson, Chief Executive at Community Foundation North East, said:
“2025 was about laying strong foundations for the future by embracing innovation, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring philanthropy continues to make a real difference in people’s lives.
“Our aim is to be the North East’s go-to-place for philanthropy, where we work to engage more people and businesses in giving money, time and expertise, and where we will use our knowledge to ensure that current and future donors have the most impact across our region.”
We strengthened our internal capacity by expanding our team, including the appointment of a dedicated Policy and Public Affairs role and a Development and Marketing role. We also initiated work on an AI policy to ensure digital responsibility and innovation.
Supporting the sector remained a priority. Over the year, we hosted more than twenty five sector support events, including First Trusteeship Gatherings, Chairing Network sessions, and targeted webinars supporting boards and senior leaders across the sector.
Our commitment to collaboration was reflected in our sponsorship and partnership of key regional events, including NE250, the VONNE Conference, as well as co-hosting the Philanthropy Round Table with the North East Combined Authority. Operationally, we introduced a new Grantee Portal to improve our grant application process, achieved our Cyber Essentials Plus certification, passed the UK Community Foundation’s Quality Accreditation, and publishing two Third Sector Trends reports, offering vital insight into the state of the sector. Joining the IVAR Open and Trusting Community further demonstrated our commitment to transparency and trust.
Building strong regional and national connections also remained central to our work. We celebrated the sixth year of the North East Giving Network at Newcastle Cathedral, welcomed Blair West as the inaugural business member of The Giving Network, and hosted our annual Northumberland drinks reception at Pallinsburn House. In July, we also held our first parliamentary event, bringing together local MPs, Lords, philanthropists, North East diaspora and key public sector leaders to explore the role of the third sector in the North East and encourage economic investment in the region.
We ended the year with the first-ever North East Roots Homecoming, a landmark celebration of our region’s global community. Homecoming brought together people who care about the North East, wherever they live, to reconnect and explore how they can help shape the region’s future. At our Homecoming Awards and Showcase event, we announced the expansion of the North East Roots initiative to overseas communities, starting in Dubai in spring 2026, and launched our North East Roots Ambassador Programme.
The progress made in 2025 reflects the collective commitment of our donors, partners and communities across the North East. As we look ahead, we are excited to build on this momentum and continue working together to create lasting change across the region.