The fifth theme covered in our Helping Communities Thrive campaign is ‘Community Support’.
Carers and Volunteering – among these sub themes the Foundation has supported more than 1.6M individuals over the past five years, awarding over £1.6M to 515 projects in the region!
We’re passionate about the West Midlands and Warwickshire, and aim to support the amazing carers and volunteers that work tirelessly to make our local communities better places to live, work and play.
Carers.
In the last five years the Foundation has worked with 61 projects solely supporting carers in the West Midlands and Warwickshire, that’s £225,682 invested into our communities. With over 38,000 beneficiaries; 18% of the grants awarded supported projects working with families.
One group to benefit is Gospel Oak Community Centre, they received £1,485 to support 25 carers throughout the pandemic by providing educational activities, practical and proactive advice over the phone. Read more.
Volunteering.
In the last 5 years we’ve supported over 454 volunteering projects, distributing more than £1.4M to 1,570,986 beneficiaries. Our grants supported over 1,000 volunteers!
In 2020 we supported African French Speaking Community Support (AFSCS) with a £1,500 grant which supported them as they helped vulnerable people pay utility bills, purchase essential items as well as providing over the phone support to those in need over the pandemic. Read more.
Volunteer spotlight: Helga Edstrom.
We rely on volunteers, whether they’re part of the grassroots organisations we support or whether they help the Foundation directly, it’s super important to recognise their commitment for helping the communities we care about.
Helga Edstrom, former Head of Local Intelligence West Office for Civil Society, shares why she enjoys volunteering for the Foundation by sitting on our grant panels. Read more.
Make Good Grow.
The Foundation partnered with Make Good Grow who match skilled volunteers with community groups to tackle high impact projects.
Using the Foundation’s connections with local charities and social enterprises, Make Good Grow are able to increase the number of projects in its portfolio, giving skilled volunteers the opportunity to lend a helping hand. Read more.